The Wolf, the Packs, and the Hybrid
by Choices
Summary: Being written; rewrite is titled "The Enemy of Your Enemy is Your Friend"
1. Another Way of Thinking

**DISCLAIMER****: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! I'm too inexperienced to, anyways. TT**

**Summary: Uchiha Sasuke is a Wolf, banished from his Pack because of his brother. As he strolls along the forest, he bumps into a Fox named Uzumaki Naruto. Only, he isn't your ordinary Fox – he's a hybrid. What happens when Sasuke is mixed up into Naruto's Pack?**

**Okay, so I had these ideas in my head… it took a really long time to figure out which one of them I would do first.**

**So, let me explain: everyone in this fanfic is a furry. A "furry" is a human with an animal's ears and tail but can also act like a human. At least, that's what I've been told. In this story, animal instincts may be dominant but there will be human instincts too. (However, in my story, they can change from their animals forms to their furry forms. :) )**

**I don't feel like explaining the rest right now. If you have any questions, I'll answer them in the next chapter (unless, of course, it ends up spoiling my story).**

_**IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE STORY, DO NOT READ IT! CRITICISM IS NOT APPRECIATED!**_

**Warnings****: (Supposedly) aloof Naruto, short chapters, possibly slow updates, possible OOCness, rating may go up, YAOI, SHONENAI, more warnings adding onto later**

**Pairings****: NaruSasu, KakaIru, ShikaTema kind of later, GaaNaru kind of later, ChoujiShika friendship later, adding on more each chapter or so**

**THERE ARE NO CUSS WORDS!! I really dislike them. :(**

--

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"_Speaking in animal Form"_

--

**The Wolf, the Packs, and the Hybrid – Chapter One: Another Way of Thinking**

A Wolf trudged through the murky swamp, eyeing everything with disgust along the way.

'_Be grateful he didn't kick you out into the desert,'_ his conscience told him.

The Wolf was named Uchiha Sasuke, whom was banished by his older brother, Uchiha Itachi. They had lived in a Pack called "Akatsuki" and when Itachi had informed him he was too weak for the Pack, he gave him the boot.

'_Just great; how am I supposed to get out of here?'_ Sasuke asked himself, almost falling into a mud pit.

His silky black-blue fur was tainted with brown _filth_ (as he put it), and by each second, it was becoming more disgusting. It irritated him to no end to how his brother could do this to him.

Being a Wolf, he was a natural born hunter – meaning that in every battle he encountered, he would be the victor.

Unfortunately, Wolves followed on their instincts, so they never thought about what they were doing. There were exceptions to that, however. Take Sasuke and his brother, for example. Wolf Pack Leaders were immensely strong and intelligent, so if any one of their underlings attacked them, they would always win.

The key to dominance was _might_. You had to prove yourself worthy of being in a Pack, which proved to be hard enough; you had to obey the Pack Leader, show respect to him, and etc… and Sasuke hated being controlled.

He had looked up to his brother when he was young but, as years went by, he began detesting him. His never-ending comments of "Too weak" or "Not strong enough" were annoying enough and his ignorance towards Sasuke only led him to hate Itachi more.

'_And that brings me back here,'_ Sasuke thought to himself, blandly.

He remained alert, for Wolves had certain distaste towards a certain creature – _Foxes_. He still couldn't understand the reason why the Wolves were enemies to the Foxes; they just were.

A single flash of light caught his attention; _'Could it be sunlight? Maybe I could escape from this swamp and wash this filth off in a lake!'_ Sasuke reflected to himself, obviously hoping for it. He marched through the sticky substance and eventually found himself inside the forest.

'_Finally,'_ he said to himself, exasperated, _'I thought I was going to die if I stayed there any longer!'_

Forests were different from swamps; although they bordered each other, they were nothing alike. Swamps were overfilled with reeds and underwater grasses, plus swamps were basically polluted water. Forests, on the other hand, had the perfect amount of trees – never too much, never too little – and there was always a little sunlight shining though somewhere. Yep, Sasuke loved forest in comparison to swamps.

Unfortunately, they never held any water. You would have to go into broad daylight to do that because lakes and rivers and such were only located in grass fields and around mountains. So, Sasuke still had a lot to go.

'_And just when I thought that I had it easy,'_ Sasuke grimaced.

The Pack, Akatsuki, was one of the most powerful Wolf Packs. They were very well-known and just one stare from any member in the Pack could kill you. Even when you had isolated one of their members, that member could tear every limb of your Pack off.

So, that was the easy life.

Unfortunately, he didn't have that any more.

Sasuke sighed as he ambled through the forest with his muddy paws.

A flash of gray caught his eye; _'Gray…? Another Wolf? But… how can there be another one around here?!'_ he shouted to himself, searching everywhere; ears, eyes, and nose alert.

His eyes gleamed red, keen enough to detect a butterfly flying.

"_You're alone…?"_ an unknown voice asked him, confused, _"You don't see Wolves traveling by themselves these days."_

"_Who are you?! Come out right now!"_ Sasuke demanded, the fur on his neck rising. He didn't know who this was; it could even be a _Fox_ – and Foxes and Wolves did _not_ go together.

His demand was complied as he heard a faint rustling of leaves and twisted around; he nearly gasped in shock as he took in the image: a _gray Fox_. But… that wasn't possible! How could there be such a thing?!

"_Who are you?!"_ he demanded once again.

The bizarre Fox did not answer his question but rather replied, _"You look rather… soiled. Do you want to come back to my Pack?"_

"_Why would I want to go to a _Fox's_ Pack?! Have you not realized yet that I am a Wolf?! We are enemies!"_ Sasuke barked, angered by the Fox's few sentences.

"_I am offering you help,"_ the Fox told him; although Sasuke saw that the Fox was several feet away from him, he heard the Fox's voice whisper behind him,_ "and what difference does it make if we are not the same?"_

Pitch black darkness met Sasuke the moment afterwards.

--

As Sasuke came to, his mind groggily picked up a conversation.

"I knew he shouldn't have gone into the forest… that Naruto…" a voice murmured.

"K-Kiba-kun, N-Naruto-kun needed to spend some t-time alone," another voice told the former, "and he b-brought a new friend here too."

"Hinata, he's a Wolf!" the former voice, Kiba, exclaimed, "What if he's going to try and kill us?! Oh, God, what if he tells his Pack about our village?!"

The latter voice, Hinata, countered, "Neji-niisan and I-I are Wolves as well; what makes us any d-different from him?"

Kiba weakly opposed, "That's a different case! I mean, look at him!"

By now, Sasuke had fully awakened as was staring – if not glaring – at the two.

There was a boy with brown, spiky hair, and a red stripe on each side of his face. He had Fox ears and tail and an overgrown Fox was standing beside him. Yet, there was a _Wolf_ right next to the Fox, fumbling with her fingers. Her Wolf ears and tail were easily noticed. They were wearing something around their bodies that prevented nudity.

"_Who are you?"_ Sasuke demanded, not liking the situation.

"E-eh, p-please don't panic! W-we're here to h-help you!" the girl notified Sasuke.

Sasuke relaxed a bit but his nerves were still standing; he was in a defensive stance, ready to attack.

"I'll go get Naruto…" the boy, Kiba, told Hinata, who nodded. The big Fox yipped (quite loudly) as Kiba exited the structure.

They were inside some kind of wooden construction that was filled with other wooden constructions and some strange things that were hovering about a hole in the structure.

"U-um, I'm H-Hyuuga Hinata," the girl introduced herself, "and the b-boy just before was I-Inuzuka Kiba… the l-little Fox was A-Akamaru…" Sasuke noted that she stuttered a lot. "P-please do not think y-you are in danger!" Hinata blurted out and blushed in embarrassment; she explained, "This is a-a peaceful village t-that the Foxes and a f-few Wolves built t-together."

"_Foxes _and_ Wolves?"_ Sasuke inquired, _"That's preposterous! Foxes and Wolves are mortal enemies! Never to be allied or acquainted!"_

Hinata stammered, "T-that's not true… N-Naruto-kun organized a P-Pack with b-both of them…"

'_Naruto?'_ Sasuke repeated in his head, _'Is he their Leader?'_

Only a few moments later, Kiba and Akamaru had come back along with a new figure: a sun blond-haired, sapphire-eyed boy with gray Fox ears and tail.

"Here," Kiba tossed Sasuke something he couldn't identify, "Go change in another room; I don't want to experience another _event_."

Sasuke looked at the three (excluding Akamaru), perplexed.

"Kiba, he's a _foreigner_ and he was in Wolf Form when I found him," the blond informed Kiba, in a monotone voice. He looked at Sasuke and introduced, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

Sasuke responded, _"Uchiha Sasuke"_ seeing if his last name had any effect on the blond.

Naruto notified Sasuke, "Those are _clothes_, as we call them. They prevent you from running around naked in your other Form." There was none.

Sasuke nodded in understanding and looked at what they were wearing: Kiba had a grayish coat on that included gray pants and a blue headband was placed around his forehead; Hinata was wearing a thin purple jacket with a blue pair of pants; and Naruto was wearing an orange jumpsuit that didn't look very… appealing.

"If you're going to change, do it in another room," Naruto's voice told Sasuke as he left the room, "Hinata and Kiba will explain everything to you." Naruto sent a harsh glare towards Kiba; "Just endure it, okay, Kiba? I don't want to punish you again." Kiba, slightly, nodded his head.

As Naruto walked away, Hinata ushered Sasuke to another room.

Now, unfortunately, Sasuke had no clue what this "other Form" was.

"S-Sasuke-kun, don't you have a-another Form?" Hinata asked.

Sasuke dumbly shook his head.

"U-um, K-Kiba-kun, we have a-a problem!" Hinata, barely, shouted to the Fox.

Kiba dashed towards the situation, along with a barking Akamaru.

"Jesus, I hate it when Naruto leaves it to us to solve these problems!" Kiba yelled. Akamaru woofed along with him.

"S-Sasuke-kun… um… you have t-to… uh… 'push'," Hinata ended, lamely.

"_Push?"_ Sasuke questioned her, _"What do you mean by 'push'?"_

Kiba, suddenly, shouted, "Oh, God, let's just get this over with! 'Push' as in when you have to go bathroom! 'Push' as in when you're forcing out your waste! Just, for Pete's Sake, change already!"

Hinata stuttered, "K-Kiba-kun, that was too direct!"

"Who cares?!" Kiba retorted, "I do not like the fact that I have to tell newcomers to 'push'!!"

Sasuke, by now, was totally baffled.

"K-Kiba-kun, please calm d-down!" Hinata said, her efforts futile.

'_Okay…'_ Sasuke reflected to himself, _'I'm in some kind of alternate universe, aren't I?"_

He glanced over at the fuming Fox and worrying Wolf and at the clothes; _'It's worth a shot, isn't it?'_ he asked himself.

Hesitantly, he forced pressure into himself, as he tightly shut his eyes.

"Hinata, look away!" Kiba warned her, covering her eyes and shutting his own, "Akamaru, don't watch!" The little Fox shut his eyes as well.

Sasuke didn't feel anything going on with him; he just kept concentrating on "pushing", as they called it. When he couldn't do it anymore, he stopped. Opening his eyes, he was shocked with what he saw: he had two legs – not four – and some shorter ones coming out from around his head; he felt for his snout but only found a smaller nose; his mouth no longer contained his fearful fangs but some dull teeth. But what was most notable was that he had _no fur_! His body was pale, nearly white, and he could see his… his…

He looked up at the two in bafflement.

Kiba pointed to a nearby door and directed, "Go there and put on y-your clothes…" Akamaru and his eyes were still shut and Hinata's eyes were still covered.

Sasuke stumbled (_'So much for my pride,'_ he thought) towards the room and fumbled with the knob until he turned it. As he entered the room, he looked over his clothes: he had a blue short sleeve (unlike the Naruto's and the others which were long-sleeved) and a pair of white jeans.

Being an efficient observer, he quickly pulled over the blue short sleeve and pulled up the leather-ish jeans.

He reentered the room, a few moments later.

Kiba, Akamaru, and Hinata were sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"Heh," Kiba reacted and then flashed him a grin, "it matches your hair." Akamaru yipped in agreement.

He held up some shiny material that reflected Sasuke's image; he had fur on his head that was bluish-black…

"But it looks like a duck's rear-end," Kiba added, bursting into hysterics out loud.

"K-Kiba-kun!" Hinata stammered.

After a few minutes, Kiba questions Sasuke, "So, you're probably confused about all this, right?" Sasuke nodded. "Well," Kiba continued, "Naruto started this whole Wolf and Fox Pack thing when he was little. I was his only friend then and I was _completely_ against the idea. So were Iruka-sensei and 'Ero-Sennin', and 'O-Baa-chan' as he called them." Sasuke blinked in confusion.

"You can talk, you know," Kiba informed him and resumed, "Eventually, Naruto proved us wrong but we're not going into detail about that."

Hinata inquired, "Sasuke-kun, w-would you like to g-go outside? I-it's a little s-stuffy in here."

"Um, okay," Sasuke answered, feeling a bit awkward, and not accustomed to speaking out loud.

They walked to one of the doors and Hinata carefully twisted the knob open.

Now, if Sasuke wasn't an Uchiha, he would have gasped (_'For a newcomer,'_ Kiba added), but he was and he settled for widening his eyes.

There were more _buildings_ such as the one he was inside before, more civilians, and he was in a _grass field_ – a big one to be exact.

"Okay, so," Kiba began clarifying, "those are houses, which we live in for shelter and protection" – He pointed to a building – "You wouldn't believe how long it took for us to make them, though!" Akamaru barked in agreement.

He continued, "Everyone who lives here is in Naruto's Pack. The Pack was originally called 'Jinchuuriki' but he changed it to 'Konoha' when more came into the Pack. Eventually, we had to settle down."

"KIBA-SAN! HINATA-SAN!" a voice yelled out.

"Oh no," Kiba reacted, eyes bugging out. Akamaru hid behind Kiba and dipped his Fox ears back.

In a second, there was another Fox, except in a one piece green clad jumpsuit and vest. He had a strange upside down bowl-cut as his hair (as they called it) and his eyes were… _very_ round. What were most noticeable, however, were his _very_ fuzzy eyebrows.

"Kiba-san, Hinata-san, good afternoon!" the Fox greeted and then flashed them a blinding smile; he turned towards Sasuke and asked, "Eh, who's this?"

Kiba replied, "Eh, Lee, this is Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke, this is Rock Lee."

Lee gave him another blinding smile and responded, "Nice to meet you, Sasuke-san!" He gave him a "Nice Guy" pose.

Sasuke sweat-dropped; he decided against speaking towards the green clad Fox.

"E-eh, Lee-kun, have you s-seen Neji-niisan anywhere?" Hinata inquired.

Lee thought for a moment and then suddenly jumped and was swinging his arm around in the air; "Ah, that's right! Neji-san went with Naruto-san and Shikamaru-san to go hunting! Ah, the power of youth!!" He yelled this out loud, causing a few Foxes and Wolves to stare at him for a while.

"H-hey, Lee," Kiba said, "Could you find Iruka-sensei for us? We're going to need his consent."

"Yoish! I will tell him in two minutes! And if I cannot do that, I must build two more homes in an hour!" Lee answered and ran off passed them.

Kiba sighed in relief and apologized, "Sorry about that; Lee can seem pretty weird but you'll get used to it." Akamaru tugged on Kiba's pants to gain his attention and barked.

"Aah, I forgot I had nursery duty! Drat, I hope Shino covered up for me!" Kiba exclaimed, "Darn that Naruto; Hinata, please take care of things here, okay?" Without waiting for Hinata's answer, the two Foxes ran off towards another house.

"S-sorry, Sasuke-kun…" Hinata apologized.

"Ah, Hinata, there you are," a voice said.

They both turned to see a middle-aged Fox with a tied-up ponytail and a scar running along his nose. He wore a green vest and bluish pants and there was a blue headband on his forehead with some sort of symbol…

Hinata replied, "Ah, yes, Iruka-sensei; N-Naruto-kun brought a new W-Wolf to our Pack. His name is S-Sasuke…"

Iruka scanned over Sasuke with a slight frown, which turned a smile almost immediately; "Hello, there. I'm Umino Iruka but everyone calls me Iruka-sensei because I taught them about the dangers of the world."

"U-um, Iruka-sensei, doesn't Sasuke-kun n-need a Konoha headband too?" Hinata questioned him.

Iruka answered, "He will but he has to pass Naruto's test to see which color he is."

"Color?" Sasuke inquired, out loud.

Iruka turned towards Sasuke and clarified, "Well, since you're a Wolf, you should know about hierarchies. Wolves' hierarchies consist of Alpha Male and Female, Beta Male and Female, an Omega, and the others. Naruto's hierarchy is similar to that." Sasuke nodded to tell him that he was following.

He resumed, "Naruto is the Alpha Male; he'll call upon another Alpha Male or Female if he needs them. There's the Beta Male and Beta Female, which take care of the Pack while he's gone. Then, there's the Cora and Dena Males and Females, which have jobs according to which rank they are; Cora usually builds houses and may help Naruto hunt while Dena takes care of the lowest rank: Eva. Eva are basically the youngsters which need lots of tending to."

Hinata added, "The Alphas h-have orange headbands, B-Betas have y-yellow-green headbands, Coras have g-green, Denas h-have blue, and Evas have b-black…"

Sasuke nodded.

Suddenly, a rapid gust of wind passed by, almost knocking down Hinata and Sasuke. However, it didn't knock down Iruka, whom already expected it.

"Yo," a voice greeted, appearing behind Iruka. He had gray gravity-defying hair with a mask that covered his mouth and nose. He had Wolf ears and tail, his green headband covered his left eye, and he was reading something.

"Kakashi… didn't I tell you to stop doing that?" Iruka asked, looking over his shoulder with an exasperated expression; he snatched the item away from Kakashi's hands and scolded, "And don't read this in front of innocent children!!"

Kakashi smiled and put both his hands up in the air; "Now, now, there's no need to make a fuss, right, I-ru-ka?"

Iruka blushed a bit, sighed, and gave the item back, "You can still read the book… just not in front of children."

"Hinata, Hinata!" a feminine voice called out.

A girl with Fox ears and tail came running, panting a bit. She had her brown hair tied in two buns, wore a whitish shirt with some pinkish pants, and wore a blue headband around her forehead.

"Hinata…" the girl said, "Konohamaru and his friends are messing up the nursery again… Can you help us? Kiba and Shino aren't doing very well…"

Hinata answered, "A-all right, Tenten." She bowed towards Iruka and Sasuke and then left with Tenten.

"So…" Kakashi said, looking over Sasuke, "This is the new Wolf, huh? You think he's going to be anything like I was?"

"If you mean by confused, stubborn, and obnoxious, then probably not," Iruka responded. (Me: Boy, he's very wrong. XP)

Kakashi faked hurt and placed a hand over his heart, "Iruka, you've shattered my soul! Now, what is there left of me?"

"So, Sasuke," Iruka said, catching his attention, "what's your first impression on Naruto?"

Sasuke scoffed and replied, "He's a cold Fox with the brain of a dobe. He leaves his jobs to his underlings and doesn't bother to do it himself. He's probably dozing off in the forest and telling the other two with him to hunt for him."

"So that's what you think of me?" a familiar voice queried.

Sasuke turned around and saw Naruto's orange jumpsuit stained with red marks that varied in size; parts of his blond hair had red in it, as well.

"And I'm guessing that you're going to say that these blood stains were of my friends while I was in the middle of a fight, aren't you?" Naruto inquired, giving him a wry smile; "Neji, Shikamaru, _and_ I just caught three deer and a moose. Could you two help them put it in the storage? I need to clean off." Without waiting for an answer, he walked off into one of the houses.

Iruka slightly glared at Sasuke before muttering a "Kakashi, please take care of Sasuke" and walked off.

Kakashi sighed and informed Sasuke, "You know, being the Pack Leader is very rough on Naruto. He actually does the _most_ work out of everyone in his Pack. Although he may _seem_ unfriendly, he's a big softy inside. Not to mention, Naruto knows more about the world than anyone I've ever seen."

Kakashi walked off a bit and stopped; "Whether or not you like it, you're staying in this Pack," he told Sasuke, "Now, hurry up; we have to bring the meat into the storage house."

"Why are you telling me to hurry up?" Sasuke asked but followed, nonetheless.

Kakashi replied, "Iruka is a Dena so he can't do any house duties; carrying meat inside the storage is a several man job and you're the only other one who was with me. My common sense tells me he's going to make you a Cora."

Sasuke blinked as he stopped. But… he just insulted the Alpha Male! If Naruto was anything like his brother, he would have stripped him to Omega.

But wait a minute…

Naruto _wasn't_ Itachi…

--

**Wow, I wrote eleven pages… that's the highest I've ever written. But, considering this is a **_**Naruto**_** fanfic, that's probably only fifteen percent of how much others do. I have this feeling that everything's going a bit fast. If it is, tell me, okay?**

**I know this chapter is kind of Sasuke-centric but I have this feeling that he wasn't included much… Oh, and Sasuke didn't notice Naruto's cheek scars because they were faint and he didn't see Naruto that long in this chapter. It'll come up sooner or later; maybe in chapter two or three.**

**Naruto's hierarchy is made up, just so you know. (Though, who wouldn't? XP)**

**I'm having trouble picking other pairings. So far, the undecided pairings are:**

**KibaHina**

**ShinoKiba**

**ShikaIno**

**NejiShika**

**NejiTen**

**NejiLee**

**LeeSaku**

**I set up a poll about the pairings in my profile. Please vote? **

**I'm already working on the next chapter but don't expect it out so soon. The reason for this: TESTING. And homework, not to mention. Plus, I have other fanfics to update. To add onto that, I have to deal with my younger sisters… So, I have a troublesome life. (Sorry for stealing your catch phrase, Shikamaru! XP)**

**Oh, if you're wondering where the title's from, I was reading **_**The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe**_** a while ago. This story didn't come from that book, however, it came from reading different Naruto stories. XP**

**Also… should this have lemons? I'm not sure if I can write them with my parents hovering over my head but I can try. Leave your reply in your review! (- Cough - and please say something nice about my fanfic! – Cough -)**

**The latest I'll have the next chapter is about a week and a half or so. Hopefully, I'll have the next update soon.**

**Reviews make me happy! (And you'll earn cookies!) Please give me a nice review.**

**Bye! **

Edited 07/10/08


	2. There's Much More Than That

**DISCLAIMER****: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!! I WILL WRITE THIS DISCLAIMER IN EVERY CHAPTER TO PROVE IT! XP**

**Summary****: Uchiha Sasuke is a Wolf, banished from his Pack because of his brother. As he strolls along the forest, he bumps into a Fox named Uzumaki Naruto. Only, he isn't your ordinary Fox – he's a hybrid. What happens when Sasuke is mixed up into Naruto's Pack?**

_**IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE STORY, DO NOT READ IT! CRITICISM IS NOT APPRECIATED!**_

**Okay, so far, the votes are:**

**NejiTen: I (1)**

**LeeSaku: IIII (4)**

**ShinoKiba: II (2)**

**KibaHina: III (3)**

**NejiLee: (0)**

**NejiShika: III (3)**

**ShikaIno: II (2)**

**Come on! I need votes! The pairings who don't make it are going to end up friendship!**

**I'm going to be closing the voting in about a week or two, but I might change my mind about the pairings.**

**Also, no one made a decision about lemons!! Come on, I'm sure there are some yaoi lovers out there somewhere!! I really need your opinion on it. :(**

**I'm introducing more of the characters as chapters go by and then I'm going to start the plot… which I still have to think about. XP**

**I might add fillers for you readers so you don't have to wait four months for an update. (That won't happen! I update at least once a month at the latest!!)**

**The next chapter is kind of planned out already but then the third chapter could end up as the fourth… oh well. As long as I keep updating, it's good, right? – Nudge, Nudge –**

**Warnings****: (Supposedly) aloof Naruto, short chapters, possibly slow updates, possible OOCness, rating may go up, YAOI, SHONENAI, more warnings adding onto later**

**Pairings****: NaruSasu, KakaIru, ShikaTema kind of later, GaaNaru kind of later, ChoujiShika friendship, slight ShikaNaru, adding on more each chapter or so**

**Thank you so much for the reviews!! Here are your replies:**

_**dragonfire04: Yay! Thank you for your review! – Hands you two cookies –**_

_**Requiem – Dragon: Hooray! I'm so glad you like my story! – Hands you two cookies –**_

_**SilentInTheShadow: Thank you for your review. Yeah, I'm not very good at descriptions. I'll try my best to make it better though! – Hands you four cookies –**_

_**Shannara810: Thanks so much for your comment! It feels me up with joy! Also, there's a reason why I didn't pair up the Sand siblings with anyone. But I'm not spoiling it. Fu fu fu… - Hands you half a dozen cookies –**_

_**DarkAngel90111: Thanks for your comment! If you want it to be those pairs, please vote in my poll. – Hands you two cookies –**_

_**Jadej. j: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it. :) – Hands you three cookies –**_

**I'm so happy!! That's why I wrote this ASAP! Enjoy! **

--

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"_Speaking in animal Form"_

--

**The Wolf, the Packs, and the Hybrid – Chapter Two: There's much more than that…**

Sasuke fit in quite well with Naruto's Pack. They were a bit edgy around him at first but now it seemed as if Sasuke's arrival was good.

He had spent two days at this village and had figured out the daily routine: Naruto would be gone most of the day with Neji and Shikamaru; the Coras would work on building wooden structures and knitting skins together; and the Denas would keep the Evas in check. He had no idea where the Betas were.

For the past two days, he noticed that there weren't many Wolves in Naruto's Pack. The only ones he had seen were Hinata and some other females who were strolling around. Maybe many Wolves were against the idea? Sasuke smirked. Yeah, that was likely. Who would want to join a mixed-up Fox's Pack?

Sasuke had not been given any jobs lately, and he liked it that way. He didn't want to listen to Naruto; after all, he hated being controlled.

"Hey, Sasuke!!" an all too familiar voice screeched.

Sasuke slightly cringed and coldly inquired, "What, Kiba?"

Kiba gasped for air for a moment before clarifying, "Naruto has a challenge for you."

Sasuke raised a dark eyebrow; "Oh?"

"Yep!" Kiba replied, grinning insanely, "It's time to see if you can handle our society!" He slapped Sasuke's back three times as Akamaru yipped along.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched and questioned the Fox, "What do you mean 'handle your society'?"

If possible, Kiba's grin grew even wider; "Oh, you'll see."

--

"Kiba, where are we going?" Sasuke asked, following the annoying Fox. Even though he lived with them, he still hated Foxes.

Kiba responded, "I told you! We're going to see if you can handle our society!" Akamaru barked along with Kiba's insane laughter. He obviously knew what was going to happen.

"We go in here," Kiba told Sasuke, stopping in front of a rather large house, "Stay here and I'll tell you when to come in." Sasuke tiredly nodded.

It had only been a few moments when Kiba had entered the house and Sasuke was beginning to become annoyed… not to mention confused. Kiba was so loud you could here him practically a hundred miles away. So, why was it so quiet in there?

After a few moments, Kiba informed Sasuke, "Okay, come in now!" with a grin.

Sasuke, resentfully, walked inside and was met with a room full of… girls.

Kiba introduced him, "Ladies, here's the new Wolf – Uchiha Sasuke."

"Oh my God, he looks so cool!" a pink-haired Wolf cried out.

"He's mine, you Large Forehead!" a blonde Wolf shouted.

There were ten to fifteen female Wolves inside this room and they were bickering about who would get Sasuke. (_'Oh, so they were all in here?' _Sasuke asked in his head, mildly.)

Kiba whistled to gain Sasuke's attention and notified him, "You better run now."

Sasuke did so without a second thought.

"SASUKE-KUN!" the females shouted, chasing after him.

'_Oh, God, when Kiba said Naruto gave me a challenge, he wasn't joking!'_ Sasuke thought to himself, frantically looking for an escape route, _'Drat, this Pack is crazy!'_

Their high-pitched shrieks of "SASUKE-KUN!" annoyed him and everyone to know end and some even ended up covering their ears.

What seemed like eternity was actually only ten minutes; man, these female Wolves had stamina!

Even after only fifteen minutes of running, Sasuke was running out of breath (who wouldn't when they had to run at top speed while still adjusting to two legs?).

But _still_, those enough she-Wolves would not leave him alone! _'Darn that Naruto!'_ Sasuke reacted, unconsciously mimicking Kiba.

He leaned over, gripped a lone tree, and looked behind himself; those she-Wolves were still running after him!

All of a sudden, a hand gripped his wrist, jerked him forward, and he found himself running with the stranger; _'What the-'_ he began to think but then saw that familiar blond whop of hair, _'Naruto?!'_ He was about to shove him off but he remembered the she-Wolves. Better a little help than none.

--

They were inside the forest, not too far from the village. Sasuke was wheezing, greedy for air while Naruto took shallow breaths.

As soon as they stopped panting, Sasuke heard a soft noise; Naruto was _chuckling_.

Sasuke turned over to said blond boy to see him smiling a bit as he chortled. The sight made Sasuke unknowingly smile a bit.

Once Naruto had stopped laughing, he leaned his back against a nearby tree and covered his eyes with his hand as he told Sasuke, "That was hilarious. You should've seen yourself." He was smiling along those words.

Sasuke frowned; "You were watching?" His eyebrow twitched a bit.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, "you've never seen me on the rooftops?"

Sasuke mentally slapped himself; why didn't he think of that?

"Well, I know they're high and all, but you should at least be able to see me on some angle," Naruto continued, still smiling, "So, 'you adjusting well to the village?"

Sasuke shrugged; "It's okay, I guess."

Naruto laughed again and responded, "Did thoze fangirls wreck your opinion?"

"Partially," Sasuke mumbled and was earned with another laugh from Naruto. No matter how many times he laughed, however, it sounded angelic.

Naruto sighed in content and notified Sasuke, "Those Wolves are famous for the obsession in boys. As long as they're in the categories of either 'cute', 'handsome', or 'pretty', they'll end up chasing them throughout the village. Guess which categories you're under." Naruto's gray Fox tail waved around in glee. "They're only the Wolves too – add them with the many Foxes and you're going to have one giant exercise machine."

Sasuke's lips twitched up a bit and then noticed Naruto's cheeks; they had three faint scars on each and could only be seen when up close.

"What happened to your cheeks?" he queried.

Naruto's smile left as swiftly it came; his tail stopped swinging and his eyes grew cold. He pushed himself off the tree and replied, harshly, "Nothing; we need to go back to the village now."

Sasuke stood, stunned at Naruto's abrupt change in attitude.

Said blond ruthlessly glared at Sasuke, whom back a few steps away from the impact.

"Come on," the once carefree blond ordered, "We're going back to the village."

Before Sasuke could respond, he was yanked into the village, at a blinding speed. He had to shake his head from the impact.

They were around the edge of the village, everything normal and none of the fangirls in sight.

"Sasuke," Naruto called out and then commanded, "Go help Shikamaru and Chouji fish. The lake is east of here."

Without waiting for a reply from Sasuke, Naruto vanished from thin air.

Sasuke blinked and then a surge of anger filled him. Why did Naruto change so suddenly?! Why did he avoid the question?! Was there a reason behind those scars?!

His questions remained unanswered as he strolled towards the lake.

--

"Ah, so Naruto ordered you to help us fish?" a Fox, with a black ponytail similar to Iruka's, asked. The Fox had a green headband on his left arm wearing a black shirt and pants with a green vest over it.

Sasuke nodded.

"Hey, Shikamaru, is this the new Wolf that joined while ago?" the other Fox, stuffing his mouth with something inside a basket, inquired. This Fox had his green headband on his forehead and long reddish hair; he wore red clothing with some gray body material over it…

"Yeah, I think so, Chouji," Shikamaru answered, with a sigh, "What was his name? Sike… Sake… Suke…"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched (_'I'm doing that a lot today,'_ he noted) and corrected, "My name's Sasuke."

Shikamaru reacted, "So troublesome…"

"It's nice to meet you, Sasuke!" Chouji informed him, stopping only a few seconds before throwing more food into his mouth.

"Chouji, stop eating all the crackers Ino made us," Shikamaru unenthusiastically told him, but Chouji continued eating.

Shikamaru sighed a bit before querying, "So, do you know how to use fishing poles?"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow up; "Fishing poles? Don't you use your claws?"

"If you want to drown down below five thousand feet than sure," Shikamaru responded; "This is a _lake_, not a _river_. So troublesome…"

Sasuke looked over to the clear liquid to see two poles settled on rocks; _'Those must be fishing poles,'_ he thought to himself.

"So, Sasuke, what do you think about Naruto?" Chouji questioned him, out of the blue, still eating Ino's crackers.

Sasuke shrugged and answered, "Nothing much; he's a bit of a jerk."

Chouji raised an eyebrow a bit; "Oh?"

"Yeah, he's laughing one minute and then when I ask him a question, he turns into an all-commanding dobe."

Shikamaru's fist tightened; "What question did you ask him?" he inquired through grinding teeth.

Sasuke carelessly replied, "I just asked him about his scars." But the moment he said "scars", Shikamaru throttled him onto the ground as he strangled Sasuke.

"You questioned him about his _scars_?!" Shikamaru exclaimed, fury etched into the last word, "Why did you ask him about that?! He's very sensitive about that topic! You wouldn't believe what he went through from those scars!"

"Shikamaru!" Chouji yelled, abandoning the crackers and struggling to pull his friend off of the Wolf, "Shikamaru, let go!"

Sasuke tried his best at breathing from the death grip Shikamaru was giving him. His face looked contorted as he scuffled to kick Shikamaru off.

Said Fox continued to scream at him, "Those mean more than a simple line of his face! He went through a lot of danger and hurt and that led towards those scars! Practically his whole _life_ is within them!"

As soon as Shikamaru finished that sentence, Chouji managed to yank him off of Sasuke; "Shikamaru, calm down! What will Naruto think of your behavior?! He'll be disappointed!" Chouji shouted. Hearing this, Shikamaru settled down a bit.

Sasuke coughed for breath as Chouji held Shikamaru by his arms. More questions filled his head from Shikamaru's outburst; _'Danger? Hurt? Sensitive? What happened from those scars?' _Sasuke queried to himself.

After a few minutes of deep breaths, Shikamaru had quieted down and Chouji released his grip.

"I'm sorry for Shikamaru's behavior," Chouji apologized, "Sasuke, I don't think you should help us fish. Shikamaru might go on another rampage if you carelessly talk about Naruto in some degree."

Sasuke nodded and strolled back to the village.

--

Many questions plagued Sasuke's mind. _'What's with those scars? Do they hold something important? I know they're not for decoration… maybe someone gave it to him? But who?_

'_Ugh, I'm having a headache because of this…'_ Sasuke told himself.

"SASUKE-KUN!" two female voices screeched, footsteps nearing.

'_Oh, great; and I was feeling so well too…'_ Sasuke sarcastically reflected to himself.

A blonde- and pink-haired she-Wolf latched themselves onto Sasuke's arms; so far, he wasn't liking any physical contact. "Sasuke-kun, we were looking all over for you!" the pink one notified him in a high-pitched voice, "Where were you?"

"Hey, get off of him, Forehead; he's mine!" the blonde retorted.

The pink-haired visibly smirked and countered, "Well, I don't see why this beauty would want a _pig_ as a mate!"

"Giant Forehead!"

"Pig!"

The two she-Wolves unintentionally let go of Sasuke, in which whom took the opportunity to escape from the fangirls.

--

It was nearing night and most of the Pack had gone back into the safety of their house… except Sasuke.

So, he was irritated – no, infuriated! Those she-Wolves had managed to _triple_ his headache and he couldn't go to bed! Not with all those questions threatening to blow his mind up!

So, here he was, wandering throughout the woods.

Yes, Naruto put up limits to where they could be; yes, he completely restricted the forest off-limits; so, yes, Uchiha Sasuke was breaking the rules.

But did Naruto really expect him to follow the rules? Sasuke smirked. Of course, but he wasn't going to.

Sasuke sauntered inside the forest in circles, no intention of going anywhere.

After approximately half an hour, he sighed and propped himself on a tree.

Sasuke looked up to the sky and noticed that it was a full moon. If he was in Wolf Form, he would've howled, but he wasn't so he didn't. Nevertheless, he really wanted to howl.

A single loud howl distracted his thoughts and his eyes darted for the cause; his tail also raised high. The howl was so… fascinating somehow. It was like a howl, yet still at the same time not. It had a mixture of another sound… but he didn't know what.

Two more howls followed by, which were music to his ears.

The brunet tried his best to hear more but it seemed as if the cause of the howls stopped. Sasuke's Wolf ears drooped; he _really_ wanted to hear that howl again.

"Sasuke?" a voice called out, startling said Wolf.

Sasuke looked to his right and saw that none other than _Naruto_ was there.

He was about to yell at him with anger but then stopped after staring at Naruto. His blond hair glistened in the moonlight, and his whole body lit up along with it; his orange jumpsuit seemed to be more alluring than it could _ever_ be; but the most mesmerizing was his _eyes_; they were so blue – bluer than the sky if possible and it shimmered with the help of the moonlight. To say Naruto was good-looking was an(other) understatement – he was an _angel_.

Said Fox's confused face converted to a worried face after Sasuke didn't say anything for the past five minutes.

He ran up to him and hollered, "Hey, Sasuke, are you in there? Are you okay? Is something wrong with your head?" while waving a hand in front of his head.

The brunet quickly snapped back to reality and noticed that Naruto was only a few centimeters away from himself; "I'm fine," Sasuke answered, pushing Naruto away; "You're invading my personal space."

Naruto's worried expression instantly turned angry and he yelled, "Well, excuse me for being worried about one of my friends! You could at least be a _little_ grateful!"

Sasuke blinked; did Naruto consider him a friend?

"Hey, what are you doing here in the forest? Didn't I tell you this was strictly off-limits?!" Naruto shouted and then sighed, "Forget it; come on, let's go back home." With that, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and marched away with him.

Sasuke felt a bit of heat rise in his face from the slight contact; wait a minute! He was an Uchiha! And Uchihas did not – repeat did _not_ – show emotions! Yet, here he was, blushing! It was a good thing Naruto wasn't facing him…

Once they had exited the forest and nearing the village, Naruto suddenly called out, "Hey, Sasuke."

Said Wolf bumped into the now still Fox and slightly retorted, "What?"

Without turning around, Naruto informed him, "Chouji told me what happened today with you and Shikamaru. I'm sorry about that."

Sasuke was baffled – shouldn't _he_ be the one apologizing?

"Hn," was all he could say.

"Don't bring up anything revolving about me that you don't know about," Naruto ordered Sasuke.

"Don't go ordering me around!" Sasuke retorted and then queried, "What wouldn't I know about you? You're cold, mean, blond, likes orange, the Alpha Male, and can change to a carefree attitude."

Naruto resumed walking, after a moment and heard Sasuke follow behind him.

When he had seen Sasuke safely enter his house, Naruto silently whispered, "There's much more than that…

"There's much _much_ more than that…"

--

**This must one very cheesy chapter. I'm not good at romantic stuff.**

**I'm sorry, SilentInTheShadow! I failed to write good descriptions! Please forgive me! TT**

**Yeah, early update; I love you readers and this fanfic so much that I gave you this early update. I hope it wasn't too bad. The next one should be up in about two weeks or less…**

**I know Chouji eats chips in the anime… but I changed it to crackers in this story. XP Okay? Okay.**

**Hehe, fangirls… I just had to put that in. XP**

**Now… my main problem is… PAIRINGS!! I really **_**really**_** need you all to vote on pairings. (And if you don't, all the ones that didn't win are going to end up friendship!)**

**Hey, I have a preview of the next chapter for you all! Enjoy!**

--

"SASUKE-SAN!" a voice cried out.

'_Oh great, fangirls _again_… wait a minute – Sasuke-_san_?'_ Sasuke reflected to himself. He turned around to be faced by a saluting green clad Fox.

"Sasuke-san, let your youth flourish in the festival tomorrow! What are you going to wear?!" Lee exclaimed, "Gai-sensei has inspired me to wear the youthful green kimono with swirls!"

'_Gai-sensei…? Wait a minute – festival?'_

--

**Yeah, it's short, but I just started working on it. Festival, festival, festival! Who can guess on what it's for? Hint: it's related to Naruto's past (which is coming up soon!!).**

**I need to know your opinions for **_**PAIRINGS**_** and **_**LEMONS**_**. Come on, all you have to do is vote in my profile and say "Yes, I want lemons" or "No, I don't want lemons" in your review!!**

**Speaking of reviews, please leave one with a nice comment! (This time, you'll earn donuts!)**

**Bye!**

Edited 07/10/08


	3. Festival Part I: You Need a Kimono!

**DISCLAIMER****: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!! IF I DID, I'D END UP MESSING IT UP!! PLUS, MY DRAWINGS SKILLS ARE TERRIBLE! XP**

**Summary****: Uchiha Sasuke is a Wolf, banished from his Pack because of his brother. As he strolls along the forest, he bumps into a Fox named Uzumaki Naruto. Only, he isn't your ordinary Fox – he's a hybrid. What happens when Sasuke is mixed up into Naruto's Pack?**

_**IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE STORY, DO NOT READ IT! CRITICISM IS NOT APPRECIATED!**_

**Warnings****: (Supposedly) aloof Naruto, short chapters, possibly slow updates, possible OOCness, rating may go up, YAOI, SHONENAI, more warnings adding onto later**

**Pairings****: NaruSasu, KakaIru, ShikaTema kind of later, GaaNaru kind of later, ChoujiShika friendship, slight ShikaNaru, NejiHina sibling bond, adding on more each chapter or so**

**Votes so far:**

**LeeSaku: IIIII (5)**

**KibaHina: IIII (4)**

**NejiShika: IIII (4)**

**ShinoKiba: II (2)**

**ShikaIno: II (2)**

**NejiTen: I (1)**

**NejiLee: (0)**

**Okay, pairings are going to close soon! I only have six votes! I need more, okay? The ones who are winning so far are LeeSaku, KibaHina, and NejiShika if you didn't notice. If they win, then, ShinoKiba, NejiTen, and NejiLee will only be friendship. If you do NOT want that, please vote!!**

**Sadly, I cannot work on my Prince of Tennis fanfic. I can't write it without pressure. Yet, I can update this fanfic without stress. Strange, isn't it?**

**It's been decided… THERE WILL BE LEMONS!! – Squeal!! – Just not now. – Boo! -**

**Review Replies:**

_**KitsuneNaru: Yay, smiley! Thanks! Nice username! – Hands you two donuts –**_

_**horsegirl08: Thank you for your review! If you would like those pairings, please vote in my poll. – Hands you two donuts –**_

_**LadyTintlet: Thank you for your opinion on lemons! – Hands you two donuts –**_

_**Jadej. j.: Thank you so much! I love continuous reviews from others! – Hands you three donuts –**_

_**realworldiscruel: Thanks for you lemon opinion! Actually, I'm going to write both forms for lemons. So, when the time comes, I'll update twice! (Lucky you readers!) – Hands you three donuts –**_

_**The Hidden Creator: Yes, I'm very sorry there's no NejiGaara. I'm a particular fan of them myself but I cannot include them in this story. Sorry, but thanks for your review! – Hands you three donuts –**_

_**Disgruntled Minion: YAY! YOU REVIEWED! I WAS SO HAPPY WHEN YOU DID! The whisker scars will be explained… sooner or later. Fu fu fu… - Hands you a dozen donuts – By the way, good luck on your exams!!**_

--

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"_Speaking in animals Form"_

--

**The Wolf, the Packs, and the Hybrid – Chapter Three: Festival Part I: You Need a Kimono!**

It was a beautiful, sunny day in the village which Konoha settled in; the day had just started and the sun had just begun to rise. All was peaceful and well until…

"SASUKE-SAN!" a voice cried out.

'_Oh great, fangirls _again_… wait a minute – Sasuke-_san_?'_ Sasuke reflected to himself. He turned around to be faced by a saluting green clad Fox.

"Sasuke-san, let your youth flourish in the festival tomorrow! What are you going to wear?!" Lee exclaimed, "Gai-sensei has inspired me to wear the youthful green kimono with swirls!"

'_Gai-sensei…? Wait a minute – festival?'_

As Sasuke thought this, Lee eagerly waited his answer… eh, maybe a little too eagerly…

Sasuke inquired, "What's this festival about?"

Lee's smile widened and replied, "I believe Naruto-san said that we have this festival at this time once a year as a tribute to an ally who died for us!"

'_Ally?'_ Sasuke cocked an eyebrow and responded, "Oh really?"

"Yes!" Lee shouted, causing yet again for some Foxes and Wolves to stare at him, "So, Sasuke-san, what are you going to wear?"

Sasuke answered, "I haven't thought of that yet."

Lee's eyes seemed to bulge out (which nearly frightened Sasuke's soul out of him) and yelled, "Sasuke-san, we must go and find you the perfect kimono! They're on sale for ninety percent off anyways so they are often sold out the minute they open! Hurry, hurry, Sasuke-san!" He grabbed Sasuke's wrist before said brunet could even react.

--

Sasuke carefully stepped inside the store (as Lee called it) as Lee ran inside. Not hearing Sasuke behind him, Lee ran back and queried (quite loudly), "Sasuke-san, please hurry up! If we do not hurry, many of the other youthful Foxes and Wolves will buy everything!"

Lee lugged Sasuke towards the green kimono section.

"Sasuke-san, what do you think?!" Lee exclaimed, pulling out various shades of green and displaying it to Sasuke. "Umm…" Sasuke responded, "I think… green doesn't suit me…"

Lee gasped; "Sasuke-san, how can you say that?! Everything matches with green! It also fills everything up with life! It is the _color_ of life!" Sasuke replied, "That's not the problem… it's too… _light_ for me." "Then, what color would you suggest, Sasuke-san?" "… Black."

Once again, Lee gasped; "Sasuke-san, such an… an… ominous color! Why?" Sasuke answered, "It doesn't matter; I'm not wearing green."

"Lee?" a well-known voice called out. "Naruto-san!" Lee shouted as he jumped around; after a moment, he declared, "You look so full of youth, Naruto-san! Splendid, indeed!"

Sasuke looked over Lee's shoulder and his eyes protruded. Naruto was wearing a baby blue kimono which had dark blue blotches; it also had pink cherry blossoms petals in various sizes, which seemed so real; to add on to it, the kimono was too big for Naruto and the collar of it had slid off of his left shoulder, exposing most of his tanned-skin neck. He wouldn't have been surprised if he had a nose bleed right now.

Naruto reacted, "Thanks, Lee." He turned towards Sasuke and notified him, "I didn't know you were a morning person."

Sasuke responded, "Hn" and stopped himself from staring at Naruto any longer.

"So, what brings you here?" Naruto asked Lee, "I know you already picked out your kimono, Lee."

Lee smiled brightly and answered, "Sasuke-san was not informed of the festival and so I am helping him pick out a kimono!"

Naruto chuckled lightly and said, "Good luck with that, Lee."

"Thank you, Naruto-san!" Lee replied, saluting, "By the way, Naruto-san, why are you here? Everyone knows you pick out several kimonos a week before today."

Naruto nodded and explained, "Hinata and Neji forgot to buy their kimonos and I just tagged along. Somehow, I ended up trying on various kimonos. But, I won't buy the whole store; don't worry about that, Lee." He waved his hand around to emphasize his point.

"Hinata-san and Neji-san are here?! I shall greet them!" Lee hollered, running into the changing room. "L-Lee-kun, this is the g-girl's changing room!" Hinata's voice stammered loudly. "LEE!" an overprotective male voice shouted, footsteps heard afterwards.

Naruto sighed and shook his head; "I have no idea what I'm going to do with him," he audibly mumbled. His kimono fell onto his wrist, as a result.

Sasuke held back his blush and questioned the blond, "Aren't you going to change back into your clothes?"

Naruto blinked and looked down at himself; "I would but I don't want to be involved in Neji and Lee's mishap." He jutted his thumb in the direction where Lee had run off to.

Many scrambles were heard afterwards and concluded itself with a "Lee, next time, look at the signs!"

Lee came back with a black eye, limping leg, and messy hair; "Neji-san, next time I will defeat you!"

He turned around and yelled, "So, Sasuke-san, shall we continue?"

"Lee," Naruto called out, "It's seven o' clock."

A few seconds ticked by before Lee remembered; "Oh no! I have forgotten to meet Gai-sensei! For that, I must run to him in ten seconds and do an extra two hundred laps!!" In no time at all, Lee dashed out of the kimono store, a steady field of dust and wind behind him. Sasuke blinked at what just happened.

"Well," Naruto said as Sasuke turned back to him, "I might as well go change back. Go find yourself a kimono while I'm gone. I'm interested to see what kind of taste you have." With that, Naruto disappeared behind the shelves.

Sasuke trailed throughout the kimonos, not really paying attention to them. His mind mainly stayed focus upon Naruto's ever-exposed tan neck.

Once Sasuke had found himself thinking about that, he violently shook his head and blushed furiously; _'So what if his neck looks good? It's _nothing_ compared to him in that kimono…'_ Sasuke blinked as he recalled over what he had just said and blushed ever further. What was with him?!

"That's a very pretty kimono you picked out, Hinata," he heard Naruto's voice remark as he heard footsteps.

Sasuke eyed Naruto in his orange garment before Naruto spoke, "Okay, I know you don't like green but that's just creepy."

Not understanding what was going on, he looked at the color of the kimonos; his eyes widened – they were _pink_. His face reddened intensely.

"Sasuke – Sasuke!" Naruto's voice broke Sasuke out of his trance; "Geez, you're nothing like Neji and Hinata - you're always spacing out."

Sasuke was about to retort before he saw two figures behind Naruto: one was Hinata who had a bright yellow kimono folded in her arms; the other figure was slightly taller than her and had a long black ponytail just like former Wolf; his eyes were just liked Hinata's – white and clear without a pupil; he wore a white shirt and pants with something gray that covered the intersecting line; he held onto a gray folded kimono; his Wolf ears and tail were as noticeable as Hinata's.

Naruto's voice broke him out of his thoughts once again, "Seeing as you're not paying attention, I'm going to repeat myself, Sasuke. You know Hinata and that's her cousin over there – Neji. He's kind of overprotective of her because they're the only Hyuugas left."

"Hello, Sasuke-kun," Hinata greeted and then anxiously looked towards her cousin.

"It's nice to meet you," Neji greeted as well and Hinata sighed in relief.

"Hn," Sasuke replied.

Naruto frowned; "Not very sociable, are you?" He flashed him a small grin before shouting, "Hinata, Neji, we have to hurry! Who knows when _they'll_ come?!" Neji's face paled at the word "they".

Sasuke knitted his brows together; "Who's 'they'?" he inquired.

"Quick, quick, I heard Lee yell that Neji-sama was here!" a feminine voice squealed.

Another female voice included, "I heard Sasuke-sama was here too!"

"Hurry, hurry; we might be able to see their fabulous abs!" another added.

Many footsteps flocked the store.

Sasuke and Neji's faces paled; "Quick, use the emergency exit!" Naruto audibly whispered and pushed them into the changing rooms, "I'll stall them!"

With that, Sasuke and Neji (who dragged Hinata) rushed out of the store.

--

Neji, Hinata, and Sasuke panted greedily for air as Neji silently muttered, "I'm going to kill Lee…"

It wasn't even morning yet, and they were being attacked by fangirls!

Once their breathing had settled, Hinata thought out loud, "I hope N-Naruto-kun is all r-right…"

"Don't worry, Hinata," Neji assured his cousin, "He has a fanclub _thrice_ the size of mine so he should live."

Hinata slowly nodded.

"_Geez, you'd think fangirls would be a little more appreciative of our personal space," _a familiar voice stated.

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata stuttered as she saw the rather large gray Fox.

"_Hi,"_ the Fox greeted, waving his gray tail about happily.

Neji queried, "You're in your Fox form and all you can say is 'hi'?!"

"_Uh… hello?"_ Naruto guessed.

Hinata stammered, "U-u-umm… Naruto-kun… did you?"

Naruto sighed and nodded his head; _"I let them have my clothes if they stopped bothering you guys for the rest of the day. They wouldn't last two days so it was the best I could do. Sorry about that."_

Sasuke's eyes twitched as he managed to question him, "Exactly _how_ did you give them your clothes?"

Naruto seemingly gave a foxy grin (_'How ironic,'_ Sasuke noted) as he answered, _"I stripped, of course."_

Hinata sputtered as they all turned dark colors of red.

Naruto grinned at his success and guaranteed them,_ "Don't worry! I did it in the changing room!"_

Hinata and Neji sighed in relief and Sasuke asked, "And you were fast enough to take off _all_ your clothes _and_ change into your Fox form?"

"_Changing forms becomes easier when you're used to it; not to mention, I'm pretty fast,"_ Naruto clarified and added, _"I bought you a kimono along the way, Sasuke."_

He didn't know how or when but a purplish-blue kimono was tossed on his head, afterwards.

Annoyed, Sasuke ripped the kimono off his head and examined it: it had a dark purple color with light blue swirls in it; the design of the kimono wasn't too explicit yet at the same time it was so open.

"_I don't know your size so… I picked you up a medium,"_ Naruto notified Sasuke, _"I'm going now. Hinata, Neji, make sure you attend the festival, 'kay? I paid for your kimonos, by the way."_

Naruto turned his grayish body around and trotted away.

Neji sighed; "Naruto just doesn't see his kindness…" he murmured.

"Neji-niisan, we have to practice our d-dance," Hinata reminded her older cousin.

"Dance?" Sasuke inquired, his mind now baffled once again.

Neji clarified, "This festival has many games and such but the main attraction of it all is the dance. Each Wolf or Fox has their own kind of dance that expresses their selves. Naruto came up with this idea; this way, newcomers have a little knowledge on others while ones whom have seen them before just enjoy it."

"Do we _have_ to dance?" Sasuke questioned him.

The Hyuuga cousins nodded.

Hinata asked, "I-is there something w-wrong, Sasuke-kun?"

The brunet sighed and, with tinted cheeks, replied, "I don't know how to dance."

--

**Hehe, Sasuke doesn't know how to dance. Does anyone know what's going to happen?**

**The reason to Naruto's cheerful attitude will be revealed at the end of the festival arc (which isn't too long).**

**Sorry about the short update; I haven't been in the mood for writing. But, I planned this story out so much that I couldn't help but update… even if it was only a little bit.**

**Hey, look! I'm giving you another preview! It's even longer! How nice of me! – Smiles –**

--

"You want dancing lessons?" Naruto asked the Wolf.

"Uhh, yeah…" Sasuke replied, unconsciously scratching his hand's backside, "I was wondering if you could teach me…"

Naruto blinked; "Why me? Can't anyone else help?"

Sasuke responded, "Well, Hinata and Neji recommended you because they said you were the best dancer."

Naruto blinked a few times, once more, and then widely smiled; "Sure! It would be my pleasure! Did Hinata or Neji explain what the dance is for?"

Sasuke nodded his head.

"That's good; I won't have to tell you about it then and we can save time," Naruto reacted, "Let's see… we need to describe your character. What do you think of yourself?"

"A Wolf?" Sasuke answered, obviously perplexed.

Naruto sighed; "Okay, let me tell you the basics: sways and swirls mean mysterious; body shakes and hand signs mean appealing and cheerful; fans mean that you have hidden feelings. If I was to choose your dancing style, you'd probably be hand signs – slow, however; those mean dark and secretive… well, they do if you cover your face a lot. If you don't, then you're just saying 'come and claim me'. You don't want that to happen."

Sasuke shivered at the thought of fangirls "claiming" him.

Naruto gave a small laugh at that; "Don't worry; dancing doesn't take long to learn; you just have to be accustomed to your style."

For some reason, Naruto winked at this.

--

**Not that long of a preview but not that short either. – Complaints – Aw, come on! It's a preview! What did you expect – the whole chapter? – Readers nod their heads – Fine, fine! I swear, you people can be so spoiled! New chapter first thing next week (or somewhere around there)!**

**Again, please vote! The pairings vote will end at May 18! If there are pairings you wish to be official, then please vote!**

**Naruto's past will come up in a few chapters, for those of you who are curious. It might be a long flashback arc, however… I'm planning that actually. :)**

**Anyways, please review? Thanks!**

**Bye now! **

Edited 07/10/08


	4. Festival Part II: Dancing Lessons!

**DISCLAIMER****: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! MY BRAIN CANNOT THINK UP SOMETHING THAT GOOD! XP**

**Summary****: Uchiha Sasuke is a Wolf, banished from his Pack because of his brother. As he strolls along the forest, he bumps into a Fox named Uzumaki Naruto. Only, he isn't your ordinary Fox – he's a hybrid. What happens when Sasuke is mixed up into Naruto's Pack?**

_**IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE STORY, DO NOT READ IT! CRITICISM IS NOT APPRECIATED!**_

**Warnings****: (Supposedly) aloof Naruto, short chapters, possibly slow updates, possible OOCness, rating may go up, YAOI, SHONENAI, more warnings adding onto later**

**Pairings****: NaruSasu, KakaIru, ShikaTema kind of later, GaaNaru kind of later, ChoujiShika friendship, slight ShikaNaru, NejiHina sibling bond, adding on more each chapter or so**

**Okay, no one voted! Come on, people, the pairings are important! Somehow! Please vote; there's only one week left before the pairings poll is closed. I write the votes down again.**

**Poll Votes:**

**LeeSaku: IIIII (5)**

**KibaHina: IIII (4)**

**NejiShika: IIII (4)**

**ShinoKiba: II (2)**

**ShikaIno: II (2)**

**NejiTen: I (1)**

**NejiLee: (0)**

**Again, **_**LeeSaku**_**,**_** KibaHina**_**, and **_**NejiShika**_** are winning. At this rate, **_**ShinoKiba**_**, **_**ShikaIno**_**, **_**NejiTen**_**, and **_**NejiLee**_** will only be friendship.**

**I think I might have given some hints to as a relationship but I don't know. – shrugs –**

**I just thought of another Naruto fanfic! But I'm not going to write it yet. Not until I'm done with two of my online fanfics.**

**Review Replies:**

_**The Hidden Creator: Thanks for your review! I love continuing reviews from someone! – Hands you three slices of cake –**_

_**KitsuneNaru: Thank you, thank you, thank you! - Hands you two slices of cake –**_

_**Disgruntled Minion: I'm so glad you liked the chapter! Really? It's not short? Thanks! – Hands you six slices of cake –**_

_**m3rokoyui**__**: Yay! I'm so happy you reviewed! Even if it was only for chapter one. :) – Hands you six slices of cake –**_

_**Angelgreen65: Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!! I loved your review! It made so so so so happy!! - Hands you six slices of cake –**_

…

…

…

… **Okay, we have a problem.**

**There are **_**NOT**_** enough reviews! I'm glad you all love to alert and favorite my story and all but without reviews, I don't have the feeling anyone is reading my story. So, please, **_**please**_**, **_**PLEASE**_**, review. (Because if I think no one reads my story, story go bye bye. Example: My unfortunate Bleach fanfic)**

**I think I've said everything I needed to say. Oh! I'm going to edit my earlier chapters sooner or later. I just realized they had quite a few mistakes. :(**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**(Explanation on Friendship Messages: It's when friends are **_**incredibly**_** close and can understand the hidden meanings behind their sentences.)**

--

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"_Speaking in animal Form"_

_Friendship Messages_

--

**The Wolf, the Packs, and the Hybrid – Chapter Four: Festival Part II: Dancing Lessons!**

Hinata and Neji didn't know how to react. They never realized that outsiders didn't know how to dance.

"T-that's going to be a problem," Neji responded, stuttering unconsciously (_'It must be in their blood,'_ Sasuke guessed), "Well, someone's going to h-have to teach you it." Neji felt _really_ uncomfortable talking about this; reasons unknown.

Sasuke asked, "Yeah, but _who's_ going to teach me?"

The Hyuuga cousins thought for a bit; "H-how about N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata suggested.

A few moments passed before Sasuke shouted, "What?!" Both the Hyuugas had to cover their ears from the volume as their Wolf ears pressed against their head.

"Shush, Uchiha, or those fangirls will find us," Neji reminded him.

"N-Naruto-kun is a-a r-really good d-dancer…" Hinata said out loud, "H-he usually is the last o-one to d-dance and it's v-very nice…"

Neji corrected, "Naruto is the best dancer in this village, Uchiha. Many of the earlier newcomers here must have taken lessons from him. Actually, everyone in this village took dancing lessons from him. He's the one who invented it, after all. Right, Hinata?"

Hinata blushed in embarrassment (_'Or something else,'_ Sasuke added) and nodded her head in agreement.

Sasuke sighed; either way, he _had_ to take lessons from somebody. Why not the best? _'Because the best is Naruto,'_ Sasuke told himself. What was wrong with learning from Naruto? Well, first of all, it would be humiliating and embarrassing for him to know Naruto was watching his every move! Not only that, but, he was the Alpha Male! _'You know that they're not very good reasons, right?'_ his conscience told himself. Sasuke sighed. Oh well, better have this over with sooner than later.

--

Naruto stared at Sasuke as he repeated said Wolf's question in his head, ceasing all movement.

The brunet had searched about half of the village to find Naruto and ended up around the lake. He had a pink face on while he asked for dancing lessons.

It took a full minute for it to register in Naruto's mind.

"You want dancing lessons?" Naruto asked the Wolf.

"Uhh, yeah…" Sasuke replied, unconsciously scratching his hand's backside, "I was wondering if you could teach me…"

Naruto blinked; "Why me? Can't anyone else help?"

Sasuke responded, "Well, Hinata and Neji recommended you because they said you were the best dancer."

Naruto blinked a few times, once more, and then widely smiled; "Sure! It would be my pleasure! Did Hinata or Neji explain what the dance is for?"

Sasuke nodded his head.

"That's good; I won't have to tell you about it then and we can save time," Naruto reacted, "Let's see… we need to describe your character. What do you think of yourself?"

"A Wolf?" Sasuke answered, obviously perplexed.

Naruto sighed; "Okay, let me tell you the basics: sways and swirls mean mysterious; body shakes and hand signs mean appealing and cheerful; fans mean that you have hidden feelings. If I was to choose your dancing style, you'd probably be hand signs – slow, however; those mean dark and secretive… well, they do if you cover your face a lot. If you don't, then you're just saying 'come and claim me'. You don't want that to happen."

Sasuke shivered at the thought of fangirls "claiming" him.

Naruto gave a small laugh at that; "Don't worry; dancing doesn't take long to learn; you just have to be accustomed to your style."

For some reason, Naruto winked at this.

--

"Your body has to match the movements you're making," Naruto told Sasuke, "So, in other words, your body has to like the way you're dancing."

"Okay…" Sasuke reacted, "How do I do that?"

Naruto answered, "You try different dance techniques that you know… but since you know none then I'll show you."

The blond Fox bent down and used his hands to trace up his leg; he slowly traced every part of his body as Sasuke stared at him, flushing. Even if it did look a little funny when wearing his orange jumpsuit.

"That's," Naruto's voice snapped Sasuke out of his state, "what I mean about 'come and claim me'. Did you like it?"

Unknowingly, Sasuke nodded and then, when he realized, blushed even more.

Naruto laughed at the sight as his gray Fox tail wagged in joy; "A lot of females use that dance," Naruto notified Sasuke, "so you can really be bored out of your skull with it. Girls just think it attracts guys, I guess." The Fox shrugged.

"Back to the main topic," Naruto said, "I'll show you the dark and secretive dance."

Naruto spread out his fingers, making his thumb and pinky nearly completely vertical. He leisurely moved them around, mostly covering his face. It caused Sasuke to become curious, for whatever reason.

"The dances look better in a kimono," Naruto suddenly told Sasuke, "which is why we were them on this day..." There was a hint of sadness in Naruto's voice – barely noticeable but there.

'_There's another reason,'_ Sasuke assumed but could not continue his train of thoughts as Naruto snapped is fingers in front of his face.

Naruto said, "If you're going to space out during the lessons, you're going to waste my time _and_ humiliate yourself on the stage."

Sasuke inquired, "Stage?"

The Fox nodded; "Yeah, these dances are public. We use a stage so everyone can see whoever is dancing."

The brunet was about to become deathly pale (because of the thought of fangirls watching him) but then felt hands hold onto his. "We need to pay attention to your lesson now," Naruto's voice whispered into Sasuke's ear, causing him to shiver.

Naruto smiled and queried, "Do I have your full attention now?" Sasuke nodded.

"Good," Naruto replied and then put his fingers between Sasuke's; "Your hands have to be able to cover most of your face," Naruto explained, "so keep them like that." Sasuke nodded. Naruto removed his fingers from Sasuke's hands and then gently held onto his wrists. "You have to have the swaying motion correct," Naruto informed the Wolf, directing Sasuke's arms with his own, "like this."

Sasuke let Naruto move him in the correct ways; he fought hard to keep the blush down and to remember the entire dance.

"You have to see your hands before your face about every few seconds," Naruto notified Sasuke, "Because of the fangirls, nowadays, this dance is dangerous because they'll take any – repeat _any_ – opportunity to 'claim' the dancer… even if it is a misunderstanding."

Naruto told Sasuke a few notes about the dance as he guided Sasuke throughout the entire dance; for a Fox or Wolf to be accustomed to a dance, they had to be completely relaxed, showing no sign of hesitation. It seemed as if Sasuke was suited to the dance because his body felt very poised and his tail was wagging quite a bit.

"Sasuke," Naruto called out, breathe brushing against the brunet's ear accidentally, "did you understand all that?" He detached himself from the Wolf and heard a soft whimper. "Sasuke; I might be crazy or insane or whatever but did you just whimper?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke, coming back to himself, immediately shook his head; "Did you ask something?" he questioned Naruto.

"Yes; I asked 'did you whimper, Sasuke?'" Naruto replied.

The Wolf instantly exclaimed, "NO!" and jumped back.

"Okay…" Naruto reacted, slightly awkward, "did you memorize the whole dance?"

The brunet blinked and nodded his head.

"Good; show me now," Naruto ordered, politely.

"I have to dance in front of you?" Sasuke inquired.

"You're going to have to conquer that stage fright of yours, Sasuke," Naruto said, "Besides, everyone's already done it in front of me! It's not different. And, it's not like I don't dance in front of them."

Sasuke stood still for a moment and then nodded his head to say "Okay, I'm ready."

Naruto watched as Sasuke slowly danced, a bit tentative, but that feeling quickly evaporated away. His body waved back and forth – almost _perfectly_, like Naruto – and his hands prevented more than a three-second glimpse at his face.

As the dance came to an end, Sasuke looked at Naruto with an anticipating face.

Naruto grinned and clapped; "Wonderful, wonderful! That was great! I knew it would be a good dance for you," he remarked.

'_I have a feeling that my face has never had as much heat as today,'_ Sasuke noted to himself, heat rising into his face once again.

"See? I told you it doesn't take long to learn dancing," Naruto reminded Sasuke, "We're just in time too. I have to help with the decorations."

The Wolf raised an eyebrow; "Decorations?"

Naruto stretched his arms and answered, "The festival is taking place in the village obviously so we need to decorate it with stalls and games and put up lanterns for light and stuff like that…

"Do you want to help?" Naruto inquired, as he neared the door, "Decorating takes up most of the day so it's good that it's only once a year."

Sasuke answered with a "Hn" and followed Naruto into the village.

They both didn't notice that the lake shimmered as both had danced together.

--

"Chouji," Shikamaru called out, Fox tail dropped down lazily, "could you pick up that wooden board for me? So troublesome…"

"Sure," responded Chouji, whom heaved up the entire pile.

A voice shouted out, "Oi, Shikamaru, Chouji!!"

Chouji looked back with interest while Shikamaru broadly turned his head around.

Naruto jogged up to them, his Fox ears twitching a bit and tail wagging back and forth in excitement; "So, how's it going?"

"We just need to hammer up this wood for the last stall," Chouji answered, and then mumbled, "I'm hungry…"

Naruto laughed and responded, "No, no, I meant your dances. You two practiced, right?"

Shikamaru questioned, "Yes… it was so troublesome."

Chouji reminded his friend, "Shikamaru, you barely lifted your tail."

Naruto laughed once again; Shikamaru rolled his eyes but inside, he was smiling.

"Naruto, you left me behind," a voice informed said blond.

"Oh, sorry, Sasuke!" Naruto apologized, grinning like crazy and showing his canines, hand behind his head.

Chouji queried, "Sasuke's going to help too?" turning around so the boards faced Shikamaru and Sasuke.

_What about Shikamaru?_

"Yep, everyone's on good terms!" Naruto replied, arms raised up in the air, and clapped together.

_Please cope with him._

Shikamaru sighed and responded, "So troublesome."

_Okay_.

Chouji turned towards Sasuke and told him, "Well, the decorations are almost done; we just need to hammer this in to a stall." He hoisted the boards to emphasize his point.

"Hn," Sasuke responded.

--

"Yay, we're done!" Naruto shouted, jumping around in glee.

"Naruto, you're too loud," Shikamaru informed his friend.

_You're attracting too much attention._

"Aw, come on, Shikamaru!" Naruto reacted and pouted, volume lowered.

_Sorry._

Chouji looked at the sky, hand shielding his eyes from the setting sun, and notified them, "There's a few hours before the festival starts. I'm going to make sure the food stalls are all right. 'Anyone want to come?"

"Nah, I'm going to check up on the Evas. Want to come, Shikamaru?" Naruto inquired.

_Did I burden you with Sasuke?_

"It'll be too troublesome…" Shikamaru replied, "I'm going to lay down somewhere and watch the clouds pass by."

_No, don't worry about it._

Naruto flashed him a smile and turned towards Sasuke; "Do you still remember the dance?"

Sasuke nodded his head and he answered with a "Hn."

"Okay, well, I better check up on the Evas now. Iruka-sensei probably needs help," Naruto told them, "Bye!" Afterwards, he disappeared.

Shikamaru sighed and then notified Sasuke, "The festival starts at sunset. Make sure to wear your kimono." He waved his hand, nonchalantly, and walked away.

Chouji asked, "Sasuke, what are you going to do in the meantime?"

Sasuke gave him a "Hn."

Chouji shrugged mumbling something about "free samples" leaving Sasuke in front of the newly finished stall which Foxes and Wolves were filling with items.

'_Well,'_ Sasuke thought to himself, _'I might as well prepare for the festival now.'_

With that, he walked to his house.

--

**CLIFFHANGER!! Well, kind of, it's the price of an early update.**

**Is it just me or is this chapter really short? /**

**Again, there is only one week left for pairings!! It ends May 18!!**

**The festival arc is nearing its end – only one or two chapters left.**

**Naruto's past will come up… eventually. (Fu fu fu)**

**After the festival arc… it's going to be a filler chapter (kind of) and then winter. (Yay, yay, winter! )**

**No preview today. – Boo! – Aw, phooie, you can survive a chapter without a preview. I didn't add it in the first chapter!**

**I liked the dance lessons part. Who agrees with me?**

**So… review please? (There's going to be pie next time!) Thanks!**

**Bye!**


	5. Festival Part III: Happiness

**DISCLAIMER****: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

**Summary****: Uchiha Sasuke is a Wolf, banished from his Pack because of his brother. As he strolls along the forest, he bumps into a Fox named Uzumaki Naruto. Only, he isn't your ordinary Fox – he's a hybrid. What happens when Sasuke is mixed up into Naruto's Pack?**

**Warnings****: (Supposedly) aloof Naruto, short chapters, possibly slow updates, possible OOCness, rating may go up, YAOI, SHONENAI, more warnings adding onto later**

**Pairings****: NaruSasu, KakaIru, ShikaTema kind of later, GaaNaru kind of later, ChoujiShika friendship, slight ShikaNaru, NejiHina sibling bond, GaiLee student-teacher bond, adding on more each chapter or so**

_**IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE STORY, DO NOT READ IT! CRITICISM IS NOT APPRECIATED!**_

**WOW, I did NOT expect so many reviews! Maybe I should threaten you readers more often… - Readers growl ferociously – I'm kidding, kidding! I'm not that evil. Though, I do thank you for all those reviews you gave me! My highest number of reviews was thirty-two and I had nine chapters for it!**

**WOW, so many people voted! I thank you all for that! Here are the votes so far:**

**KibaHina: IIIIIII (7)**

**LeeSaku: IIIIIII (7)**

**NejiShika: IIIII (5)**

**ShinoKiba: III (3)**

**ShikaIno: III (3)**

**NejiTen: III (3)**

**NejiLee: (0)**

**Again, **_**KibaHina**_**, **_**LeeSaku**_**, and **_**NejiShika**_** are winning; at this rate, **_**ShinoKiba**_**, **_**ShikaIno**_**, **_**NejiTen**_**, and **_**NejiLee**_** will only be friendship. If you DO NOT want that to happen, please vote in the poll in my profile! (I'm extending it to May 21. I won't be updating until at least then because I have family things to do.)**

**I just noticed they were only wearing their twelve-year-old clothing. I changed it; it's nothing too much to worry about so don't fret about it.**

**Review Replies:**

_**mistress of mist: If you would like those pairings, please vote in my poll. Thanks for taking the time to review! – Hands you two slices of pie –**_

_**Stained Wolf: KibaShika? I read a one-shot on that before… I don't really see the connection between those two but I'll might KibaShika friendship later on. Will that be all right? Thanks for your review. – Hands you three slices of pie –**_

_**Vampire'sDarkAngel: Please do not die! That would be ever so dreadful! I hope you stay intact. – Hands you two slices of pie –**_

_**Jadej. j: Yeah, poor little Sasuke doesn't realize it too. Thanks for your review. – hands you four slices of pie –**_

_**Angelgreen65: Yes, two people can dance together. Thanks for your review. – Hands you five slices of pie –**_

_**KitsuneNaru: Yay, thanks for the smiley! - Hands you two slices of pie -**_

_**Asian Tinkerbell: Thanks for your review. Don't worry; as long as I earn a sufficient amount of reviews each chapter, this story won't be discontinued. (Hint, hint) – Hands you four slices of pie –**_

_**m3rokoyui**__**: Thanks for your vote and review! – Hand you six slices of pie –**_

_**shirilyle**__**: Don't worry! I'll continue as long I have a sufficient amount of reviews each chapter. – Hands you three slices of pie –**_

_**Disgruntled Minion: YAY! Thanks for your review! I was really hoping you would comment on it. (Yeah, I'm that obsessed in your reviews…) Thanks again! - Hands you six slices of pie - **_

**Thanks for all those reviews! **

**Oh, before I forget, my friend has a story that needs reviews. Could you be as kind enough as to read it and review nicely? Thanks. Here's the link:**

**/s /4246703 /1 /AizensTrapFlowersinthe****Moonlight**

**Just copy it into your address bar and delete the spaces. Please give a nice review on it? Thanks, it would mean a lot to her and me.**

**Yay! It's dancing time! Enjoy! **

--

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"_Speaking in animal Form"_

_Friendship Messages_

--

**The Wolf, the Packs, and the Hybrid – Chapter Five: Festival Part III: Happiness**

Although Sasuke didn't want to admit it, Naruto had pretty good taste in clothing. His masculine body didn't go through too much or too little and it hardly exposed his body; in fact, it was little bigger than himself! But, the less he revealed, the better. No need for fangirls to drool over him.

'_Though, I would like Naruto to do that…'_ Sasuke blinked at what he just thought. He messed up his black-almost-blue hair with his hands and screamed inside his head: _'Why did I just think that?! It was so ridiculous of me! This village must be converting me into a lovey-dovey Wolf…'_

Sighing, he pulled up the dark purple kimono and trudged towards the door. How different would the village look outside now? It had been two hours and sunset had come.

'_It's probably the same – just with lights and colors and all that,'_ Sasuke reflected.

As he was about to open the door, several earsplitting bangs were thumped against the other said.

"Oi, Sasuke, open, open, open!" a familiar voice urgently demanded, accompanied with loud barking.

The brunet felt a twitch threaten to arise and unhurriedly opened the door.

"Oi, what was-" he began to ask but was pushed onto the wall.

"Sasuke, have you seen Naruto anywhere?!" Kiba immediately inquired, hands gripping Sasuke's kimono, "Anywhere! Like, I don't know, maybe near the lake or something?!"

"The last time I saw him was in the village," Sasuke answered, a bit stunned; he pushed Kiba off of him and responded, "I don't want your Fox breath all over me."

Kiba folded his arms and his tail wagged about; Akamaru's tail shook as well but more in apprehension than in joy.

"What's the big deal about it, anyway?" Sasuke asked.

Face contorted with anxiety, Kiba hastily replied, "IhavetofindNarutobecausehealwaysmanagestoescapemyview!! Andwhenhedoes, healwayssneaksuponmeandsurprisesmeandthenIandAkamaruaresurprisedand-"

"Speak slower!" Sasuke demanded, obviously trying to comprehend what Kiba was babbling.

Kiba, slowly, repeated, "I have to find Naruto because he always manages to escape my view!! And when he does, he always sneaks up on me and surprises me and then I and Akamaru are scared out of our wits!"

'_You have no wits,'_ Sasuke noted in his head, blandly. "_That's_ why you're asking me where Naruto is?"

The Fox complained, "It's a lot scarier than you think!!" Akamaru yipped along in agreement.

"And how exactly?" Sasuke _really_ didn't feel like dealing with this right now. He saw a recognizable face and was given the "Shh" sign. Sasuke faintly nodded in response.

Kiba yelled, "He creeps up behind you and yells-"

"BOO!" Naruto shouted and Kiba screamed while Akamaru barked in panic.

Naruto laughed heartily as he saw Kiba's stunned face and Akamaru's rigid body; tears were threatening to fall out.

"You – you!" Kiba pointed at Sasuke, "You knew he was there! How could you?!"

Sasuke shrugged, a small smile coming through; "You were going to have to face it sooner or later… so I thought why not now?"

"Traitor!" Kiba accused, pointing a finger towards him; Akamaru yapped in agreement, fur bristling.

Naruto wiped the tears forming at his eyes and remarked, "I haven't heard you scream like that since last year." He chuckled.

"Naruto, you know I hate it when you do that!!" Kiba whined as Akamaru calmed down.

"Yeah, but your reactions are too funny to stop it," Naruto responded, smiling.

As Kiba continued griping, Naruto asked, "So, Sasuke, did you take a look at the village yet?"

Sasuke reacted, "No, not yet. I was about to when Crybaby over here attacked me."

"I'm not a crybaby!" Kiba protested, his dull gray kimono with orange spots sagging.

"Yeah, Sasuke," Naruto added, "Kiba's not a crybaby… just someone who's startled easily."

Sasuke almost laughed out loud at the counter. He couldn't tell if Naruto was on his side or Kiba's!

Kiba complained, "Who's side are you on?!"

Naruto replied, "Half on yours, half on Sasuke's. I don't want to 'overwhelm the balance'." Naruto fingered quotes around "overwhelm the balance".

Sasuke couldn't take it anymore. The way Naruto said that was too funny! He was implying sarcasm yet he was so serious about it!

Said blonde Fox remarked, "Well! Looks like Wolf Boy over here can laugh!"

Once Sasuke had calmed down, Naruto asked, "So, are you going to the festival or what?"

"Yeah," Sasuke answered and then noticed something, "Why aren't you wearing your kimono, Naruto?"

Naruto grinned deviously and responded, "I don't wear it until later."

Kiba told Sasuke, "It's always a surprise to what he wears – it can be a bright color one year and dark colors the next two years."

Akamaru tugged on Kiba's sleeve and barked. "Oh, right! Hinata said she'd meet me at the festival! Man, I hope I didn't make her wait too long!"

Naruto waved his hand as his farewell as Kiba rushed away.

"Well, I'll see you during the dances, Sasuke," Naruto said, walking the same path Kiba had taken, "I suggest you be careful around the village. Fangirls will do anything to tear off your kimono.

"Make sure to watch the dances, okay?" Naruto asked, head slightly titling back, "Because… the dances are important."

Without an explanation, he walked off.

Sasuke repeated the last sentence over in his head; _'The dances are important… how, I wonder?'_

Bright lights and a loud crowd cheer caused him to stroll into the festival.

--

"How is everybody tonight?!" Naruto yelled out, earning loud screams; "Great! I love your enthusiasm!! Well, I'm sure you're not here for me to talk, right?! Who wants to see some dances?!" More screams accompanied the first.

Naruto responded, "Now, that's what I call passion! Hear it up for… Konohamaru and his friends!" His blazing red kimono shook as he pointed towards his left.

Eager eyes waited for the Evas to come out and dance.

After a while, Naruto looked behind the curtains; "Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon; what's the matter?"

A boy with a runny nose wearing a blue kimono with shapes answered, "Naruto-niisan! We forgot our dances!" Another boy and girl nodded their heads.

The blond Fox sighed and approached them; "There's no need to be afraid. Everyone is going to have to dances sooner or later."

"Why can't we dance later?" a boy wearing goggles on his head with a green and orange kimono snapped.

Naruto smirked, playfully, and replied, "Oh, Konohamaru, are you being a scaredy Fox? What a shame; I thought you were tougher than that."

Konohamaru shouted, "I am! Come on, Udon, Moegi, we're going to dance!"

The only girl in the three asked, "B-but, how are we supposed to remember our dances?"

Konohamaru smiled, cheekily, and responded, "We just have to follow our hearts! Right, Naruto-niisan?!"

He flashed keen eyes towards his idol; "Yep!" Naruto answered, giving them a thumbs-up, "Now, you better dance now or else everyone's going to be disappointed!"

"Yes, Naruto-niisan!" the three simultaneously shouted and ran outside onto stage; an immediate cheer was heard.

Naruto chuckled and peeked out from behind the curtains; Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon were jumping and moving their arms in such a childish manner that you couldn't help but love it. Many people laughed in joy of their dance.

The blond Fox looked around as the three Evas were still dancing; he needed to make sure _everyone_ was here for the dance; that included people from the crowd coming up later on.

"Ah, Kiba, Neji, Hinata; you're here!" Naruto exclaimed happily; "Hey, Akamaru." He bent down to pet the Fox.

"Y-yes, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata replied, almost inaudibly.

Neji greeted, "Hello, Naruto."

On the other hand… "Naruto! You're not going to scare me again, are you?!"

Naruto laughed, goodheartedly; "No, Kiba, it's only once a year."

Kiba sighed in relief; "So, have you seen Sasuke anywhere?" Naruto queried.

Neji blinked, slightly; "The Uchiha? Why do you ask?"

"It's his first festival here and I wanted to make sure he was on time… He's a Cora so it'll take a while before his turn…" Naruto answered.

Hinata smoothed down her yellow kimono, faintly; "N-Naruto-kun, what dance a-are you going to d-do this y-year?" she questioned him.

Said blond grinned at her; "You'll have to wait and see!"

"Naruto-niisan!" three voices called out.

Naruto was nearly thrown down by three excited Fox kits.

"Hey, how'd you do?" Naruto asked.

"We did great, Naruto-niisan! Everyone loved us!" Konohamaru shouted, "I'm probably better at you than dancing!"

"Hm, maybe, but you still might have a ways to go," Naruto replied, "I have to hurry up and call out the next dancers, all right? I'll see you soon."

--

"Well, how's that for all our little Evas?! They were high in spirit this year, weren't they?!" Naruto asked in a loud bellow. A large "Yeah!" was heard.

Naruto yelled, "Now, it's time for the Denas! Who's excited?!" A large ecstatic scream was heard, but it wasn't enough for Naruto; "I didn't hear you! Who's excited?!" A louder rapturous scream followed by afterwards; "That's more like it! Now, the first Dena is… Kiba and Akamaru!"

A huge scream was heard; it was obvious Kiba and Akamaru were a favorited Dena pair.

A moment later, the two Foxes rushed out; "Hey, everybody!" Kiba shouted, accompanied by Akamaru's loud yip; "Who's ready for some fun?!" An earsplitting scream was his response; "All right!"

Naruto had left the stage once Kiba and Akamaru had started dancing; the two were a wholehearted duo who could never be separated.

'_That's what a pair dancing means,'_ Naruto reminded himself, _'it means you and your partner share a strong bond, whether it's friendship, relationship, or something more.'_ Naruto sadly smiled at what he just said.

He quickly changed the subject in his mind; he couldn't think about it now! He had to be happy so his Pack didn't see that he was actually sad during this celebration.

'_To me, it's a reminiscence, however… a sad one. Stop thinking right now! You'll have time to do that later!'_ Naruto scolded himself.

"Naruto," a familiar voice called out.

"Ah, Sasuke, you finally came!" Naruto exclaimed, astonished, "I thought that fangirl threat was going to scare you off." He insolently grinned.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched; "I was going to have to face it sooner or later."

"And, so you thought 'why not now?'" Naruto mimicked Sasuke's words and grinned wider when he realized Sasuke's eyebrow was going to fall off his face.

"Right now, it's only Denas; I'll call you up when it's your turn," Naruto told Sasuke, "We have a break just before Coras though… so you're turn is going to take a while."

"Naruto-san!! Sasuke-san!!" a cheerful and (a little too) zealous voice yelled.

"Oh no…" Sasuke blanched while Naruto just laughed.

A Fox wearing a green kimono with swirls dashed up to them and saluted them; "Naruto-san, your work in impeccable! Everyone here is full of beautiful youth!" He flashed them a toothy smile.

"Thanks, Lee!" Naruto replied gleefully.

The blond Fox looked around and inquired, "Lee, where's Gai-sensei?"

Lee's smile brightened; "Gai-sensei, Naruto-san has not forgotten you!"

Instantly, a taller version of Lee flashed towards them and embraced Naruto into a bone-breaking hug.

"Oh, Naruto-san, how I feel ever so in your debt! I have never forgotten you, but you are the Alpha therefore, which means I am in even more debt! For you to remember a Fox like me, I must be blessed!" the taller version of Lee exclaimed, swinging Naruto side to side, and crying tremendously; his green kimono added effect to his twirls.

"Yes, Naruto-san, the power of youth is within you!" Lee cried out, tears falling down his face as well.

Once Gai had released Naruto from his powerful embrace, he asked, "Eh, who's this, Naruto-san?"

Naruto responded, "This is Sasuke; he's been here for a few months and is learning everything quite quickly."

Sasuke nodded as a greeting before being crushed into a giant bear hug.

"It's nice to meet you, Sasuke-san! My name is Maito Gai but everyone calls me Gai-sensei!" Gai greeted.

"You deserve to be called Gai-sensei, Gai-sensei! You're an excellent training teacher!" Naruto commented.

Gai immediately released Sasuke and squashed Naruto into another bone-crushing hug; "Thank you, Naruto-san! Such kind words from you have been wasted on me! I thank you so much, Naruto-san!" he cried out, more animate tears falling.

"Sorry, Gai-sensei, Lee, but Sasuke and I have to return to the stage; Kiba and Akamaru's dances are long but they can't be this long," Naruto apologized after being discharged of the embrace.

"Yes, Naruto-san," the green twins reacted, saluting them; Gai informed them, "We will be sure to dance and be on time!"

"And if we cannot do that for you, Naruto-san, then we must do five hundred push-ups!" Lee added.

Gai replied, "And if we cannot do that we must to six hundred pull-ups! Goodbye, Naruto-san!"

Once they had seen Naruto wave goodbye, they vanished.

Sasuke blinked and turned towards Naruto; the blond just cackled.

He explained, "You'll be accustomed to them when you hang around them a lot. Come on, I really have to finish announcing the dances."

With that, Naruto held Sasuke's hand and pulled them towards the stage.

Sasuke couldn't resist the slight flush that rose up his face as he and Naruto held hands.

--

Hinata and Neji's dance didn't take too long (because of Hinata's shyness) but many applauded for their ritual dance; they always danced like that – Neji would be like a servant to the princess Hinata, doing whatever she wished for.

Once Naruto had announced it was break time, everyone looked around for open food booths.

When Hinata had left to eat something with Kiba, Naruto turned towards Neji and told him, "You shouldn't act like that anymore to Hinata."

Neji cocked an eyebrow; "Like what?"

"Like a servant," Naruto immediately answered, "Although there are ranks in this Pack, everyone is the same. No one is better than the other because we are all the same; I don't think Hinata likes it when you act like an obsequious Wolf who will do anything for her." The blonde made sure to hide the grief in his tone.

Unable to find a good counter, Neji whispered, "I… I just want her to be happy."

"You shouldn't be unhappy if she's happy," Naruto scolded the Cora and then sighed; "I'm sure she'd be sad if you gave up your happiness for her."

After a moment, Naruto stretched and notified Neji, "I'm not forcing you to change yourself; I just want you to be happy while Hinata is as well." He placed a hand on Neji's shoulder. "Maybe I'll help too; you look like you need a mate." Naruto chuckled at his joke.

However, Neji blushed at Naruto's witticism; Naruto scrunched his eyebrows together and reacted, "Not me, silly! There's a reason why I only bring you and Shikamaru with me during hunting at times!"

Neji tried to find the implication at his sentence and then protested, "It's not like that!" with a red face instead of his usual pale one.

Naruto guffawed at Neji's embarrassment; "Come on, I've seen the way you look at him during our hunts!" Neji's face just turned a brighter face.

Seeing Neji's uncomforted form in the subject, Naruto dropped it; "Well, remember what I told you, Neji. If you be happy, Hinata will be happy. Others can make you two happy as well. It's not just you two and the world, you know." Neji's redness died down, afterwards.

He patted Neji's back and looked over his gray kimono; "And lighten up. I don't want you to turn all emotional on me when Hinata says she wants to mate with someone."

Neji couldn't help the chuckle that went up his throat at the joke.

"Well, I'm going to catch up with Sasuke," Naruto said, "I wonder if the fangirls ate him yet…"

When Naruto left, Neji walked the other way and muttered, "Thank you, Naruto…"

--

"Sasuke-kun!" a shrill feminine voice yelled.

"Look at me, Sasuke-kun!" another screamed.

An additional female voice added, "Sasuke-kun looks so handsome in his kimono!"

The break was over and Naruto had announced that it was Sasuke's turn to dance; unfortunately, his fans were interrupting it.

Sasuke's patience with the girls was beginning to wither away, evident because of the huge vein in his forehead. Seeing this, Naruto shouted, "QUIET!!"

All was hushed instantaneously.

Naruto sighed in content and informed them, "Well, we can't see Sasuke dance if you're all disrupting it, right? You can scream a bit during the dance and a lot more afterwards. Now, let's see Sasuke dance!"

Shrill female screams were his reaction.

Naruto whispered into Sasuke's ear, "I'll be right behind the curtains, watching you" and then left.

Sasuke fought down the heat in his face and focused on his dance.

Naruto's voice echoed and repeated in his head.

'_Your hands have to be able to cover most of your face.'_ Sasuke spread out his fingers.

'_You have to have the swaying motion correct.'_ Sasuke began to dance, rocking his body.

'_You have to see your hands before your face about every few seconds.'_ Sasuke made sure to hide his face every three seconds.

Before he knew it, fangirls were screaming, yearning for a mishap in his dance.

His body swayed, nearly as light as a feather, and his hands prevented more than a three-second glance.

Naruto involuntarily smiled at Sasuke's dancing, behind the curtains; _'Boy, he looks like a beauty out there,'_ he left himself think, _'No wonder those fangirls are screeching so loudly.'_

"Naruto," a voice called out, lazily.

_Are you doing well?_

"Oh, hey, Shikamaru," Naruto replied, grinning, "Are you enjoying the festival?"

_I don't know._

Shikamaru sighed and answered, "It's less troublesome than last year, I suppose."

_I think I'm recovering from it._

"Oh," Naruto reacted, smile gone.

_I'm not._

Shikamaru's eyes widened.

_Why?_

Naruto stared at him with anxious eyes.

_I'm not ready yet._

Naruto walked towards Shikamaru; he smiled and said, "I better prepare for my dance now."

_I don't want to talk about it._

Shikamaru responded, "So troublesome…"

_Okay._

With that, Naruto left.

Shikamaru watched Naruto's disappearing back.

'_Why can't you be happy too, Naruto?'_

--

Sasuke finished his dance which was granted many feminine screams.

Feeling a headache coming, he speed-walked back behind the curtains.

He was greeted by a Fox wearing a dull orange kimono.

"Hey, Sasuke," Shikamaru said, idly.

Sasuke replied, "Hn" and searched for Naruto.

Shikamaru notified him, "Naruto watched your dance, don't worry about that."

Sasuke's attention focused on Shikamaru.

The Fox's eyes opened and informed him, "Naruto's preparing for his dance; that's why he's not here."

Sasuke nodded, in understanding.

Shikamaru rested his head against the black wall and told the Wolf, "Watch from the roof up here; it has the best view."

Walking away, he asked, "You _do_ want to watch Naruto's dance, right?"

"Y-yeah," Sasuke answered and then followed Shikamaru.

--

The starry night sky shimmered as the lights played around.

Shikamaru lied down on the slanted region while Sasuke just sat down at the top.

"He should be starting soon," Sasuke heard Shikamaru mutter.

"Hello everyone!" a new Fox yelled out with a beard, wearing a grayish kimono, and something white in his mouth. (_'He should stop smoking,'_ Shikamaru thought, a bit distastefully.)

"As you all know, I am Asuma-sensei! Why is Naruto not here at this time? Well, because it's his turn to dance!" High-pitched screams even louder than Sasuke's were heard and said brunet had to cover his ears.

Asuma responded, "Wonderful! Has everyone seen Naruto's kimono tonight?" The audience nodded their heads. "Well, be sure to keep an open mind because Naruto will be changing kimonos often during this dance!" More sharp cheers were heard after this.

"Wait a minute…" Sasuke pondered out loud.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Shikamaru told him, not bothering to look at the Wolf.

"Now, Naruto will only appear when he's heard everyone ready and excited!" Asuma informed the audience, "Let's here some cheers, pronto!" An earsplitting scream/ cheer/ a sound beyond the universe was his reply.

A familiar voice shouted, "Now, that's like it!"

In a poof, Naruto appeared, holding several different kimonos and still wearing his red kimono with orange flowers.

"Naruto-sama!!" many feminine voices shrieked.

He waved happily to his fans (which caused even louder screams).

"Wow…" Sasuke thought out loud.

"Yeah, Naruto's a popular idol to look up to," Shikamaru added.

Asuma dismissed himself, "Well, I better exit the stage for you to dance, eh, Naruto?"

The blonde laughed, cutely and put a hand behind his head.

If his fans weren't too obsessed in seeing his dance, they would have fainted.

When Asuma had left, Naruto placed the several kimonos on the ground, separating each by a few inches.

"What's he doing?" Sasuke asked Shikamaru.

The lazy Fox replied, "Just watch" and sat up.

Out of no where, Naruto pulled out two fans, one in each hand; one was red while the other was yellow. His hands expertly twisted and turned them around, almost as if fanning himself indirectly.

His body spun, showing no flaws, and unexpectedly he changed into an orange kimono that was on the ground.

Sasuke blinked; how did Naruto do that?

"Naruto's like a speed god," Shikamaru explained, as if expecting it, "Newcomers know nothing about it until they see it."

Naruto's fans flew around, no indication suggesting claiming him; the audience was quiet, as if making a single squeak would break the elegance and grace of his dance.

The blond Fox twirled again but this time, he held blue and green fans; the former ones were no where to be found. His kimono color, now, was a turquoise color.

His body swayed back and forth while his fans were held in complicated ways, almost impossibly.

Somehow, Naruto's body looked as if there weren't any _bones_ in it; he body rocked in many directions that it looked like nothing a Wolf _or_ Fox could do.

Naruto's Fox tail wagged back in forth, in complex swirls; how could Naruto concentrate on his tail while his body was as difficult to control?

Sasuke was perplexed but at the same time awed; if it wasn't for Shikamaru holding him back, he would've fallen off the building.

The dance's pace was slow, bumping up a bit during the kimono and fan changes; it was mesmerizing, as if one glimpse away from it would kill you.

Its end was near, as Naruto replaced the fans with his hands, just like Sasuke's dance… but this was different somehow; sure, Naruto was hiding his face but it was as if he was hiding sometime _more_ than his face… but Sasuke didn't know what.

The attention-grabbing dance stopped as Naruto bowed down, slowly, like his dance.

Immediately, an almost out-of-this-world scream was heard. Obviously, everyone loved his slow dance.

Naruto looked from the corner of his eyes at Shikamaru; the brunet nodded his head.

"I'm glad you all liked my dance, everyone. And now, you may enjoy the rest of the night because tomorrow will be a break for you all – meaning no work, no jobs, just time to rest and catch up with each other," Naruto began saying, gently as if talking to a child, "Please enjoy this as much as you can everyone. I'll see you all tomorrow." With that, he disappeared, along with the kimonos he brought.

"Naruto-sama was so elegant!" a feminine voice remarked.

'He was beautiful! Gorgeous!" another added.

One more declared, "I love him!"

'

Shikamaru asked, "What did you think of Naruto's dance, Sasuke?"

He turned his head towards the Wolf.

Sasuke hesitated before replying; "He was elegant, beautiful like his fans said but… it was like he was trying to hide something away from us. It confused me yet it amazed me at the same time."

Shikamaru's eyes widened a bit at Sasuke's answer; every other time he brought a newcomer up to watch Naruto, they would always comment on his wonderfulness or beauty. But Sasuke… he told him about his feelings on the dance.

The Fox genius informed Sasuke, "Well, we better get down from here. Come on, hurry up."

As Shikamaru waited for Sasuke to follow him he thought:

'_Did you know?_

'_Changing your accessories during a dance means you're confused. Let it be about someone or something, you're confused._

'_Because you don't know what choice to make.'_

--

A blond Fox stood in front of a stone that jutted out of the ground.

He sat on a nearby rock and stared at it sadly.

After a few minutes, he said, "I'm so sorry…"

He covered his face with his hands, causing everything else he said to be a bit muffled.

"I promised you I'd be happy on this day…

"I promised you I would never be sad…

"I promised you I would move on…

"But how can I do that when I'm the reason you're dead?

"I broke my promises… I hate it when that happens…"

The blond Fox kneeled down in front of the stone with incomprehensible writing.

"Even if no one else can read this… I can…"

Naruto bent over the stone and cried. He cried so much that a small puddle formed before him. His next few words were etched with sadness and grief.

"I'm so sorry… I let you down… I was the reason you were killed… I'm so sorry…

"… Gaara."

--

**Wahh… I feel bad for making little Naru-chan feel bad. But, it needs to be in the story.**

**Fu fu fu, a cliffhanger! It's a little hint on Naruto's past too.**

**It took my three hours to write this!! It's my longest chapter yet! I feel so proud of myself! :D**

**This is the end of the festival arc. Yeah, I'm sad to see it go bye bye too. :'(**

**Again, I thank you all for your reviews. They make me so happy. (I'm sorry you don't feel happy right now, Naru-chan…)**

**I put a little NejiShika hint in here because it seemed like it fit. Besides, it doesn't look like NejiTen or NejiLee is going to win anytime soon. (Sorry for the discouragement readers!)**

**Yeah, I needed a little humor in this chapter. It can't be all sappy sappy sad, now can it? (Sorry if there's a bit of dry humor in it.)**

**It might look like there's a ShikaSasu hint but THERE ISN'T. Shikamaru's doing it for Naruto. Why? You'll learn later… Fu fu fu… I must be evil. XP**

**I bet you're all wondering why Shikamaru and Naruto have such a close bond. – Readers nod their heads – Well, I'll leave a clue for you: they went through the same difficult experiences.**

**Preview? You expect me to write a twenty-page long chapter and include a preview? – Readers nod – I'm growing soft on you.**

--

Sasuke observed the lax village wondering why they would be as careless enough to be in harm.

'_Where's Naruto?'_ Sasuke asked himself, _'Is he taking care of the village himself?'_

"Yo," a familiar voice greeted, a slight breeze hitting Sasuke's back.

Sasuke reacted, "Kakashi-sensei, what do you want?"

Kakashi didn't look up from his orange book as he answered, "I haven't seen you in a while. What, I can't talk to another fellow Wolf inside Naruto's Pack?"

"No," Sasuke answered.

"Now, Sasuke, don't act like such a brat," Kakashi scolded, waving his index finger to and fro without looking up from his book.

Slightly, Sasuke clenched his hands in annoyance and asked, "Is there something you need, Kakashi-sensei?"

The mask-wearing Wolf finally raised his head and formed his eye in a "U" shape; "As a matter of fact, yes, I have a favor to ask of you."

--

**I don't want to make it too long because it might be a short chapter and then you'll find it boring.**

**Yay, I'm going to reintroduce Kakashi and Iruka into the story! Hey, the last time I wrote about them was in the first chapter! And it was just a greeting! So, I **_**should**_** put them in the next chapter! No complaints!**

**The new deadline for pairings vote is May 21 so make sure to vote!!**

**Again, please review my friend's story. I would really appreciate it if you gave her a nice review. **

**/s /4246703 /1 /AizensTrapFlowersinthe****Moonlight**

**Like I said before, just copy it into your address box and delete the spaces.**

**Please review? (You'll receive Crème brulee!) Thank you!**

**Bye now! **


	6. Today, This Day

**DISCLAIMER****: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

**Summary****: Uchiha Sasuke is a Wolf, banished from his Pack because of his brother. As he strolls along the forest, he bumps into a Fox named Uzumaki Naruto. Only, he isn't your ordinary Fox – he's a hybrid. What happens when Sasuke is mixed up into Naruto's Pack?**

**Warnings****: (Supposedly) aloof Naruto, short chapters, possibly slow updates, possible OOCness, rating may go up, YAOI, SHONENAI, more warnings adding onto later**

**Pairings****: NaruSasu, KakaIru, ShikaTema kind of later, GaaNaru kind of later, ChoujiShika friendship, slight ShikaNaru, NejiHina sibling bond, GaiLee student-teacher bond, KibaHina, LeeSaku, NejiShika, ShinoKiba friendship, ShikaIno friendship, NejiTen friendship, NejiLee "friendship", adding on more each chapter or so**

_**IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE STORY, DO NOT READ IT! CRITICISM IS NOT APPRECIATED!**_

**UNRELATED TOPIC: Has anyone seen the effects of the China earthquake?! It's terrible! So many people have either died, lost their homes, or have been badly injured! We must help them survive! … somehow…**

**VOTES:**

**KibaHina: IIIIIIIII (9) WINNER**

**LeeSaku: IIIIIIII (8) WINNER**

**NejiShika: IIIIIII (7) WINNER**

**ShinoKiba: IIIII (5) FRIENDSHIP**

**ShikaIno: IIII (4) FRIENDSHIP**

**NejiTen: III (3) FRIENDSHIP**

**NejiLee: (0) FRIENDSHIP**

**So, the votes have been tallied up and the winners have been shown. I'm so sorry for the readers, who wanted those who lost but unfortunately, they're only going to be friendship. :( I'm sorry.**

**Review Replies:**

_**kamiam714: Thank you for your review! Oh, you want a cookie instead? Then a cookie you shall receive! - Hands you three cookies –**_

_**shirilyle: Thanks for your review! – Hands you two crème brules –**_

_**Jadej. j.: Thank you so much for taking your time to review! :) – Hands you three crème brules –**_

_**Stained Wolf: Thanks! Eh, I really can't fit a KibaShika friendship thing in my story… sorry… - Hands you three crème brules –**_

_**m3rokoyui: I'm glad you liked it! :) – Hands you six crème brules – And, because you inspired another reader to come into my story, you receive two extra! :D – Hands you two more crème brules –**_

_**Asian Tinkerbell: Don't worry; he'll be together with Sasuke as soon as the Wolf realizes his feelings… which may take a while. XP – Hands you four crème brules –**_

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_**Disgruntled Minion: YAY! YOU REVIEWED AGAIN! XP I really should stop doing that since I expect you to review each chapter but I can't help it. Your reviews just make me so happy. - Hands you six crème brules –**_

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**Please keep up your reviews! They inspire me to write faster! **

**Onward to the story now!**

--

"Speaking"

"_Speaking in animal Form"_

'_Thinking'_

_Friendship Messages_

--

**The Wolf, the Packs, and the Hybrid – Chapter Six: Today, This Day**

Sasuke woke up to the sound of chirping birds. Strange; he usually woke up to the sound of bustling Foxes and Wolves that were busy working.

He dressed and decided to take a walk.

Sasuke observed the lax village wondering why they would be as careless enough to be in harm.

'_Where's Naruto?'_ Sasuke asked himself, _'Is he taking care of the village himself?'_

"Yo," a familiar voice greeted, a slight breeze hitting Sasuke's back.

Sasuke reacted, "Kakashi-sensei, what do you want?"

Kakashi didn't look up from his orange book as he answered, "I haven't seen you in a while. What, I can't talk to another fellow Wolf inside Naruto's Pack?"

"No," Sasuke answered.

"Now, Sasuke, don't act like such a brat," Kakashi scolded, waving his index finger to and fro without looking up from his book.

Slightly, Sasuke clenched his hands in annoyance and asked, "Is there something you need, Kakashi-sensei?"

The mask-wearing Wolf finally raised his head and formed his eye in a "U" shape; "As a matter of fact, yes, I have a favor to ask of you."

"A favor?" Sasuke repeated, perplexed.

Kakashi nodded his head, his visible eye still in its "U" shape.

"Will you do it?"

"It depends on what it is," Sasuke replied.

Kakashi responded, "I need you to give this to Naruto" and handed him a piece of folded paper.

"That's it?" Sasuke asked, about to open the paper.

"Ah!" Kakashi stole the piece of paper back, tsking; "Now, now, Sasuke, this is for _Naruto_ and Naruto _only_." He handed the paper back to Sasuke.

'_What could be so important that I can't look in it?'_ Sasuke reflected.

Kakashi told Sasuke, "Well, make sure to give that to Naruto. I'm going to be at Iruka's house so if you need us, look there."

Before Sasuke could stop him, he disappeared.

'_Annoying Wolf,'_ Sasuke grumbled in his mind as he tried to open the paper; his eyebrows scrunched together as he came to a realization: the paper was glued together!

Sasuke inquired, _'Why would Kakashi want to give something like this to Naruto?'_ but sighed and gently laid it into his pocket.

He kept his hands in his pant pockets as he strolled through the rather quiet village. It was rather… strange without the usual noise.

After five minutes of nonstop walking and no sight of Naruto, Sasuke finally sighed in frustration. Where was that darn Fox?!

The Wolf raked his hands through his dark hair and then thought about something. _'What if I search for him in my Wolf form?'_ he wondered and then knitted his eyebrows together; _'But I'm going to end up naked if I return to my other form…'_

Sasuke shook his head at that idea; what was he thinking?! He was an Uchiha! They did _not_ do crazy things!

--

'_Okay, this is _not_ crazy!'_ Sasuke once again repeated, _'Repeat – _not_ crazy!!'_

He was in his Wolf form with his clothes wrapped around his neck and the paper safely tied to his leg.

'_Naruto better owe me for this!'_ Sasuke thought while speeding towards the lake. He found Shikamaru instead.

"Oh, Sasuke, it's you…" the Fox brunet said, "Why are you in your Wolf form?"

"_That's my business,"_ Sasuke snarled.

Shikamaru responded, "No need to make a fuss. So troublesome…" He shook his head. "So, what are you doing?"

The Wolf replied, hesitantly, _"I'm doing something."_ Darn it, he was an Uchiha yet he came up with strange answers!!

The pony-tailed Fox lifted an eyebrow; "Oh? Does this have to do with Naruto?"

Sasuke reacted, _"How did you know?!" _while jumping up a bit.

"You're not _that_ good at concealing your stuff, you know," Shikamaru told him and added, "So troublesome…"

"_So, do you know where he is?"_ Sasuke asked.

Shikamaru's eyes suddenly hardened and he looked at Sasuke at the corner of his eyes; "Tell me, Uchiha, what is Naruto in your point of view?" he inquired.

Sasuke was shocked; Shikamaru had never called him by his surname before! The Wolf stuttered, _"W-w-well… he's t-the Alpha Male…"_

"Is that all he is to you?" Shikamaru continued questioning the Wolf, his Fox tail and ears showing he was currently displeased.

The Wolf thought for a bit more; what was Naruto to him? Did he think of the blonde Fox as just the leader? Maybe slightly obnoxious? Anything?

After a while, he replied, _"I-I don't know…"_

Shikamaru's eyes broadened, slightly; "You don't know?" he pressured the Wolf.

"_I told you that I don't know!"_ Sasuke exclaimed, fur bristling and continued; _"I feel weird with the slightest contact with him! He amazes me, confuses me, drives me crazy! I have all these strange feelings inside me and I don't know what they mean! I don't know!"_ He was gasping and his fur sat at different angles.

The Fox took all this under consideration; _'Weird with the slightest contact… confuses him… strange feelings… doesn't know…'_ Out of the blue, Shikamaru smirked. _'Boy, Uchihas can be so oblivious! I bet even Naruto already knows his feelings!'_ However, he wasn't going to reveal the Uchiha's feelings yet; he would just deny it and avoid Naruto. As much as he knew Naruto wanted to be alone, he couldn't help but try to find someone suitable for the blond as a companion at least.

Remembering his atypical smirk, he replaced it with his usual bored expression and turned back to Sasuke; he waited for him to calm down and asked him, "So, you really don't know?"

"_Yes, I have no idea,"_ Sasuke responded.

Shikamaru sighed but inside he was smiling; maybe there was hope for Naruto moving on too.

"What's your assignment?" the Fox brunet inquired.

Sasuke signaled towards his leg and Shikamaru took the note.

What surprised Sasuke, though, was that Shikamaru _opened_ the paper! His jaw hung out into the air.

He didn't notice Shikamaru take out some sort of writing tool, scribble something on it, and retie it back onto his leg.

"Sasuke," Shikamaru called out to the Wolf; when he knew that Sasuke had his full focus on him, he cupped his hand around on of his ears and whispered, "Today's an important day for Naruto… Today's his…" His voice was quietest at the end.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he repeated the sentence; _"Today's his… Today's his… Oh God, what do I do??"_

"First of all, relax," Shikamaru answered for him, "And second, Naruto isn't greedy. But… there is always that one sentence that makes him happy on this day – he thinks people recognize him when they say it."

"_What?"_ Sasuke asked.

Again, Shikamaru inaudibly muttered something into his Wolf ear.

The Wolf gave him a shocked look; _"That's it? That's all he wants?"_

Shikamaru nodded his head; "Like I said, he isn't greedy."

Sasuke nodded his head.

"So, are you going to go or what?" Shikamaru queried, his bored look eyeing the mountain nearby.

Sasuke was about to leave until he questioned the Fox, _"Do you know where he is?"_

Shikamaru mumbled, "So troublesome…" and then grunted towards the mountains.

Sasuke followed his view and then understood what Shikamaru was implying.

He thanked the Fox (something he thought he would _never_ do) and dashed off.

Once Sasuke had gone out of sight range, Shikamaru let himself smile a bit.

'_Maybe…_

'_Maybe there's a little bit of hope for him to open Naruto's heart like Gaara did…'_

--

Naruto's back drooped down a bit, as did his tail; "I'm sorry, Gaara," he repeated once again, "I know today's my special day but it… doesn't… feel right without you." He was about to give the stone a strained smile but then stopped; "I'm sorry… I'm so pathetic…"

The blond Fox had not moved an inch from the rock he was sitting on since last night. He only moved to check around his village, quickly as possible, before sitting back down here. He rested his head in his hands.

"_Naruto!"_ a familiar voice called out.

Said blond looked around for the voice, jumping over the ledge that separated the single tombstone from the rest of the mountain.

"Sasuke?" Naruto called out, "Where are you?"

"_Right here!"_ Sasuke replied, as Naruto looked down and saw a tail-wagging Wolf with clothes around its neck; he hopped down.

"Why are you in your Wolf form?"

Sasuke answered, _"I have something for you."_

"Can't you give it to me in person?" Naruto reacted.

"_B-but…"_ Sasuke stammered.

Naruto notified him, "There's a cave there" pointing towards his left.

"_O-okay…"_

As soon as Sasuke finished dressing, Naruto remarked, "You sure do take long to change Forms – not enough experience, I suppose?"

Sasuke bit back a retort and handed the Fox the card; "Kakashi-sensei wanted me to give this to you."

Surprised, Naruto took the card and opened it; his features turned into a soft appreciative expression.

"Naruto…" Sasuke spoke up, unconsciously scratching the backside of his hand.

The blond Fox looked up at him in curiosity.

"H-happy birthday," Sasuke said.

Naruto blinked and then truly smiled the first time in the day. "Thanks Sasuke," Naruto said, "I-I appreciate it."

Sasuke felt a light blush creep up his face.

"I'm going to be right back," Naruto suddenly told Sasuke, "Stay here, okay?"

Sasuke nodded.

Naruto bounded over the ledges and then came back.

"Let's go into the village, all right?" Naruto suggested.

"O-okay, but what did you just do?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto smiled again and answered, "I told somebody some good news. Come on, let's go!"

Sasuke didn't wonder who this "somebody" was because Naruto's last smile had dazzled him; he let himself be pulled into the village and he couldn't help the thought that rushed through his head.

'_I want him to keep smiling like that.'_

--

**Aww, so cute!! I couldn't help but write something about Naruto's birthday. I know it's nowhere near his birth date but I just had to add it in. XP**

**It's short but sweet and that's what I like about it.**

**Thanks for all the votes and reviews, everyone!!**

**Yeah, I couldn't add Iruka in much. I'll add him in next chapter.**

**No preview this chapter. – Boo! – Sorry, but I'm in a rush lately. It's **_**way**_** pass my bedtime and my mom and dad are still awake! Yikes!**

**So, let's cut this short! Review please? (We're going back to cookies!) Thanks! Bye! **


	7. The Betas and the CoBetas

**DISCLAIMER****: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!!**

**Summary****: Uchiha Sasuke is a Wolf, banished from his Pack because of his brother. As he strolls along the forest, he bumps into a Fox named Uzumaki Naruto. Only, he isn't your ordinary Fox – he's a hybrid. What happens when Sasuke is mixed up into Naruto's Pack?**

**Warnings****: (Supposedly) aloof Naruto, short chapters, possibly slow updates, possible OOCness, rating may go up, YAOI, SHONENAI, more warnings adding onto later**

**Pairings****: NaruSasu, KakaIru, ShikaTema kind of later, GaaNaru kind of later, ChoujiShika friendship, slight ShikaNaru, NejiHina sibling bond, GaiLee student-teacher bond, KibaHina, LeeSaku, NejiShika, ShinoKiba friendship, ShikaIno friendship, NejiTen friendship, NejiLee "friendship", AsumaKurenai?, adding on more each chapter or so**

_**IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE STORY, DO NOT READ IT! CRITICISM IS NOT APPRECIATED!**_

**Review Replies:**

_**reychop: Wow, thanks so much!! Your review brought me so much joy!! – Hands you five cookies –**_

_**Aduro Witch: Thank you!! I worked really fast on it and thought that it might be a bit rushed but you proved me wrong!! Thank you so much!! - Hands you four cookies –**_

_**Stained Wolf: All right, I'm glad it's okay. Thanks for saying my story are great. - Hands you four cookies –**_

_**Asian Tinkerbell: Yay! I'm so glad you like the Sasuke in my story!! As for Gaara and Naruto… you're going to have to wait! XP Too bad! I like leaving you readers in suspense! – Hands you four cookies –**_

_**m3rokoyui: Yeah, it was short because I rushed it a bit. Is your new story out yet?? I want to read it… - Hands you six cookies –**_

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**I'll accept six reviews for a short chapter – but remember: NO REVIEWS EQUALS NO CHAPTER!!**

**Ehh… sorry for the late update?**

**Let's read now, shall we?**

**(We're still on Naruto's birthday.)**

--

"Speaking"

"_Speaking in animal Form"_

'_Thinking'_

_Friendship/ Close Relationship Messages_

--

**The Wolf, the Packs, and the Hybrid – Chapter Seven: The Betas and Co-Betas**

Sasuke and Naruto entered the quiet village.

"Naruto…" Sasuke caught Naruto's attention; "What exactly is inside that paper?"

The gray-eared and –tailed Fox looked at the paper and good-naturedly beamed; "This is something from a few good friends."

'_Few…? But only Kakashi gave it to me,'_ Sasuke reflected.

He noticed that Naruto's eyes were glued onto the sheet, as if reading it over and over again; after a while, he suddenly leaped in joy and hugged it to his chest with his tail wagging ever so quickly.

Sasuke was startled at this sudden uncommon gesture from Naruto and asked, "Eh… are you okay?"

Blinking, Naruto turned his head towards Sasuke; then, he looked back to the note; he did this a couple of times before realizing he had just jumped in glee in front of Sasuke; he blushed – since when did he feel comfortable enough to do that in front of the Wolf??

"E-eh… sorry…" the Fox barely apologized, his Fox ears against his head and tail ceasing movement.

It took a while for Sasuke to figure out that Naruto was _blushing_ – _the_ Naruto was blushing because of him!! (or something related to that)

"Hn," replied Sasuke, not knowing how to react.

"Naruto!!" a voice called out.

Naruto responded, "Iruka-sensei! Hi!"

Iruka ran up to the Fox and Wolf and gasped for air; "Ah, Iruka-sensei, are you all right??" Naruto frantically asked, arms waving around for emphasis.

"N-Naruto…" Iruka spoke out, "they're… vacation… back…"

Naruto tried to comprehend the three words and then, when he realized what Iruka was talking about, his eyes bulged out.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was confused; "Naruto, who's 'they'?"

The blond Fox didn't answer him and waited until Iruka had regained his breath.

"Naruto-" the nose-scarred Fox began to speak but was then disrupted by violent shaking from said Fox.

"Iruka-sensei, where did you see them?! Tell me please! Where are they?!" Naruto anxiously questioned him, tail wagging hurriedly and ears alert.

"N-N-Nar-ruto, I c-can't t-tel-ll you if you k-keep sh-aking me!!" Iruka told the Alpha Male.

Hearing this, Naruto stopped shaking him and then waited for a response.

Iruka sighed at Naruto's ecstasy and then informed him, "They're both at the nursery and-"

The nose-scarred Fox couldn't finish his sentence because at the word "nursery", Naruto had disappeared.

Sasuke blinked at the spot where Naruto just was.

"Iruka-sensei," he said, "Who is 'they'?"

The older Fox responded, "Ah, I'm sorry, Sasuke. You never knew of these two. Well, they're the Betas – Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama."

--

"Ero-Sennin, O-Baa-chan, where are you?!" Naruto yelled, running throughout the nursery.

"Naruto!" Kiba reacted, jumping backwards; Akamaru yipped in surprise.

"…" a Fox wearing a green jacket with a hood, black pants and sunglasses responded.

"Naruto, don't scare us like that!" Tenten notified the Alpha.

Naruto greeted them, swiftly, "Hey, Kiba, Shino, Tenten!" and then rapidly ran to another room.

Kiba blinked and then turned to Shino; "Is it just me or is Naruto a little crazy this year on his birthday?"

Shino slightly shook his head before returning to the Evas.

The bun-haired Fox sighed and placed her hands on her hips; "Kiba, Akamaru, the Evas are going to go crazy without their lunch," she told them.

Akamaru barked and Kiba stood up; "Okay, Tenten, don't rush me!"

'_Boys,'_ Tenten thought to herself.

--

Konohamaru glared at the taller, older, female Fox before him.

She had blonde, shoulder long hair and was wearing gray tang top and black pants; a green cloak covered her shoulder; her eyes were a dull yellow and a small purple diamond was in the middle of her forehead; she looked probably no older than in the twenties to thirties, but she was actually in her fifties. There was also a yellow-green headband around her waist.

Next to her was an older looking Fox. He had waist-length spiky white hair and wore gray pants and shirt with a red coat with two yellow dots hanging over it. He wore a fishnet shirt under and had two thin red lines from his eyes to the end of his face. He also had a yellow-green headband around his left shoulder.

"What are you doing here, Baa-chan?!" Konohamaru demanded, fuming.

A vein formed on Tsunade's forehead and she retorted, "I came back to my village, you twerp – what do you think?!"

"You shouldn't have left in the first place if you were going to come back!" Konohamaru shouted.

"Konohamaru…" Udon tried to stop his friend's outrage.

Jiraiya crossed his arms and looked down upon the three Evas; had they lost respect for the second most important rank??

The scarf-wearing Fox continued yelling; "You left for so long that the Co-Betas probably would've been the Betas already! But, with Naruto-niichan being the great leader he is, didn't do that!"

"Oi, give us some respect!" Jiraiya ordered, finally growing tired of this.

"Why should we you Ero-Sennin?!" Konohamaru demanded, and his friends had to restrain him from punching the two.

A vein formed on the white-haired Fox's head; who knew Naruto could be such a big influence?!

"Listen-" he was about to say but was interrupted.

"Ero-Sennin, O-Baa-chan!!"

The two tall Foxes turned towards the door, seeing a sweating and panting Naruto.

"Naruto!!" Tsunade responded, as Naruto caught his breathe.

Once he had finished wheezing, the younger male blond stomped up to them and snapped, "Do you _KNOW_ how long you've been gone?! Do you _KNOW_ that the Pack was in danger during half of that?! Do you _KNOW_ what we went through?" He tried to punch Tsunade but she dodged it; "You were gone for _THREE YEARS_! You and Ero-Sennin were gone for so long that I had to have Co-Betas!"

Jiraiya and the youngsters watched the one-sided fighting scene before them.

After a few moments, Naruto stopped punching and he looked to the ground, bangs hiding his eyes.

Right when Tsunade was about to flare-up, she felt pressure around her waist; Naruto was hugging her!

"Do you know how much I've missed you?" he asked, muffled because of her clothes.

Tsunade gently smiled and placed a hand onto her favorite Fox's head; she felt something wet fall onto her clothes – Naruto was crying.

Jiraiya smiled at the scene; _'That brat's still the same as before.'_

All of a sudden, he fell down; "Ero-Sennin, I missed you too!!" Naruto exclaimed, tears still falling.

Despite the earlier starry-eyed scene with Tsunade, the scene with Jiraiya was embarrassing and funny; Konohamaru and his friends couldn't help but laugh.

"Darn it, Naruto!" Jiraiya yelled as Naruto sat on the ground, wiping his eyes; "Why does Tsunade have a gushy scene while you make a fool out of me?!"

Naruto blinked; "Aren't you a fool already?"

Konohamaru laughed out loud at that; "N-Naruto-niichan, y-you're so f-funny!!"

Said blonde turned toward the laughing Foxes and grinned; "Yep!"

Jiraiya just banged Naruto's head with his fist.

"You little brat," he muttered.

"Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon, isn't it time for you three to have lunch now?" Naruto asked.

"Aah, Naruto-niichan is right, Konohamaru – we have to hurry or else every will eat the cookies!" Moegi screeched, tugging both of the boys' clothes.

"Bye, Naruto-niichan!" they simultaneously shouted, the two boys being dragged by Moegi. Naruto chuckled and then placed his arms behind his head.

Naruto repeated, "I really did miss you two" with a soft smile.

He was hugged again by Tsunade and she replied, "We know."

Jiraiya reacted, "Okay, enough with the mushy stuff. Let's talk about more important stuff – did you mate yet, Naruto?"

"Jiraiya!" Tsunade shouted angrily, bonking him on the head.

Naruto just laughed it off and shook his head; "Nope, sorry, Ero-Sennin."

Tsunade reacted, "Naruto, it's been about four years. When are you going to recover from then?"

The younger blonde changed the subject; "Hey, did you hear? There's a new Wolf in the Pack!"

_I'll talk to you about it later._

Jiraiya asked, "Really? Does she have a good figure?" His tail wagged with anticipation.

_Sure, don't worry about it._

"No, no, Ero-Sennin, not a _she_ – a _he_," Naruto corrected the white-haired Fox.

Said Fox's tail drooped; "Naruto, didn't you pick up _any_ girls in the last four years?"

He obtained a rather strong punch on his head from Tsunade.

Naruto laughed at the normal show of the two.

"So, what's his name?" Tsunade asked.

"Sasuke U-" Naruto bit his cheek right before he said Sasuke's last name.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow but didn't question any further when he saw the young blond's discomfort.

Abruptly, Naruto remembered something; "Drat, I left Sasuke behind!" he exclaimed, running towards the door, "I have to hurry! He'll be mad at me!"

As he reached the door, he slowed down his pace. "Hey, O-Baa-chan, Ero-Sennin…"

"What gaki?" Tsunade managed to inquire with a vein throbbing in her forehead because of her "nickname".

"It's too hard to forget," he mumbled, barely audible but the two of the three Legendary Sannins managed to hear it.

Jiraiya informed his young student, "You don't have to forget – you can still remember him."

"Naruto, before you leave," Tsunade called out, "Happy birthday."

Naruto exited the door but not before whispering a "Thanks."

When he was out of hearing range, Tsunade and Jiraiya smirked; "It looks like this little 'Sasuke' is opening Naruto bit by bit."

"Yeah," Jiraiya replied, "I haven't seen Naruto this youthful since before then."

Tsunade sighed at the word "then".

'_Let's hope it won't happen again.'_

--

Naruto raced around the village at the speed of light.

'_Drat, where did Sasuke go??'_ He didn't know why he was so upset about the possibility of Sasuke being mad with him; something about that made him feel bad…

He suddenly bumped into a figure and fell down with an "oof". He looked up and shouted-

"SASUKE!"

The gray-tailed and -eared Fox glomped the Wolf, sending both of them tumbling down. For some reason, he felt really glad that he found Sasuke.

Said Wolf blinked at Naruto's unusual behavior and saw that they were receiving some weird stares.

He blushed in embarrassment and reacted, "Naruto, we're being stared at!" He struggled under the strong Fox's grip.

Naruto blinked and then looked down at Sasuke; his face turned beet red and he immediately jumped off.

'_Since when did I feel comfortable enough to do that to him?? The only one I've done that to is Gaara!!'_ Naruto screamed in his head.

He couldn't contemplate on the subject because Sasuke's voice rang him out of his thoughts.

"Naruto, where have you been?" he questioned him.

"Err…" Naruto responded, Fox ears flattening against his head; "I kind of was excited because Ero-Sennin and O-Baa-chan were back…"

Just when Sasuke was about to ask who the two were, a familiar and new voice called out, "Naruto!"

"Ah, Asuma-sensei, Kurenai-sensei; hi!" Naruto replied, waving his arm back and forth, his ears now popped up.

There came two Foxes: one male and one female.

The female had extremely wavy brown hair, orange-brown eyes, and bandages around her thighs and the bottom half of her arm; her whole wardrobe looked like giant bandages with black lines and occasional spikes coming out of those lines. You could see part of a fishnet shirt around her chest and a long red sleeve was on her right arm. (_'It's a unique wardrobe,'_ Sasuke noted.)

The male had something white in his mouth and had a beard; he had spiky blue hair and wore a dull green vest. He had blue pants and there was some kind of… handkerchief hanging at the end of his shirt; it had some red kanji on it. He wore two blackish rings around his wrists and you could visibly see the blue shirt with a red circle under his vest.

"Hey, aren't you that Asuma person from the festival?" Sasuke remembered.

"Sasuke, you forgot to add the '-sensei' part!" Naruto scolded the Wolf.

The male waved his hand and dismissed the issue; "No worries, Naruto. So, I've heard the new Wolf's name is Sasuke."

Even after months had gone by, the topic of new Wolf was still going around.

"Yeah," Naruto reacted, "Has the title of Co-Beta burdened you two too much?"

The female Fox objected, "No, it didn't. You worry too much, Naruto." She ruffled Naruto's blond hair.

The Alpha Fox pouted before introducing the two to Sasuke; "This is Asuma-sensei and that's Kurenai-sensei. Rumor's been going 'round for a while that they're a couple but they keep denying it."

"Naruto!" the couple both exclaimed, faces reddening.

"What?" said Fox responded, looking genuinely perplexed.

Sasuke looked back and fro from the two Foxes._ 'They look like a good pair, I guess…'_ he said.

"Hey, Naruto," Sasuke said, "What is a 'Co-Beta'?"

"A Co-Beta is a Wolf or Fox that covers for the original Beta when they aren't there," Naruto answered, "Why? You've never heard of it?" Sasuke shook his head.

Asuma inquired, "Naruto, when should we start harvesting?"

The younger Fox responded, "I think we should start in about two or three weeks. Snow won't be here until next month."

"Snow?" Sasuke repeated, unfamiliar with the word.

Naruto stared at Sasuke, weirdly.

"Yeah, snow – winter. Haven't you ever seen it before?" Naruto questioned the Wolf, "Wait… Sasuke, where did you live before?"

Sasuke responded, "In the forest, where else?"

The blond Fox scrunched his eyebrows together and then exclaimed, "No wonder you've never seen snow!" He gave him a toothy grin; "I can't wait to see what your face will look like when you see it!"

Kurenai told the two, "We have to tend to the village now. We'll see you two later."

She ruffled Naruto's hair as did Asuma.

"So, Sasuke," Naruto called out, as soon as the Co-Betas were out of hearing range, "let's go to my house."

--

Naruto's house wasn't much different from everyone else's; it had the essential furniture and was surprisingly tidy.

Not seeing much interest in it, Sasuke just sat down on Naruto's couch.

"Sasuke, I'm going to take a shower, all right?" Naruto informed Sasuke, looking over his shoulder. Sasuke nodded, indicating he knew.

After a while, Sasuke fell asleep, bored out of his wits.

Only a few minutes afterward did Naruto finish his shower. He came in wearing nothing but an orange towel from his waist to his knees and his hair clinging onto his forehead; he walked up to the snoozing Wolf and thought, _'Did I really take that long on my shower again? Well… Gaara always said I was a water-waster.'_

The nearly naked Fox gently picked up the Wolf and then tucked him into his bed. Beside the bed was a small desk with two drawers.

Naruto stared at the Wolf as he wondered…

'_When…_

'_When did I feel so comfortable around him?_

'_So comfortable that I can be carefree around him?_

'_So carefree… like when I was with Gaara…'_

--

**I have this feeling that this chapter is a little suckish… Oh well.**

**Hehe, did anyone notice I didn't add any Betas in until now?? I mentioned that a few chapters ago so you should remember it.**

**This chapter mostly focuses on Naruto and Sasuke (doesn't every chapter?). I need to start filling in hints and such for the new pairings. (The drawer next to Naruto's bed is a major key point!!)**

**Ooh, we're feeling some love here!! XP Is Naruto and Sasuke's relationship going too quickly? Please tell me so I can slow it down!**

**No preview this time either. – B – But before you can say "Boo!" I'll tell you what it's about! Sasuke's going to experience his first snowfall! And guess who's going to guide him through it! There will be hints of the pairings and such, don't worry. – BOO! – Sorry but I haven't started on the next chapter yet. You'll just have to wait.**

**I made a poll on my next story but it won't be out soon enough. :( It depends on how fast I update really. Could you spare a moment of your life to vote? Thanks. :)**

**Well, remember to review! (Recap from opening message: NO REVIEWS EQUALS NO CHAPTER!) How about some cake this time? Well, please review. I hope this chapter wasn't too bad.**

**Bye now! **


	8. Side Pairings Ahoy!

**DISCLAIMER****: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

**Summary****: Uchiha Sasuke is a Wolf, banished from his Pack because of his brother. As he strolls along the forest, he bumps into a Fox named Uzumaki Naruto. Only, he isn't your ordinary Fox – he's a hybrid. What happens when Sasuke is mixed up into Naruto's Pack?**

**Warnings****: (Supposedly) aloof Naruto, short chapters, possibly slow updates, possible OOCness, rating may go up, YAOI, SHONENAI, more warnings adding onto later**

**Pairings****: NaruSasu, KakaIru, ShikaTema kind of later, GaaNaru kind of later, ChoujiShika friendship, slight ShikaNaru, NejiHina sibling bond, GaiLee student-teacher bond, KibaHina, LeeSaku, NejiShika, ShinoKiba friendship, ShikaIno friendship, NejiTen friendship, NejiLee "friendship", AsumaKurenai?, adding on more each chapter or so**

_**IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE STORY, DO NOT READ IT! CRITICISM IS NOT APPRECIATED!**_

**Review Replies:**

_**Stained Wolf: Thanks! Yeah, I'm wondering when they're going to contact me… - Hands you four piece of cake –**_

_**Jadej. j: OO Thank you so much for the nice star! My friend helped me plan that out but I'm not telling… Fu fu fu… XP**_

_**DrowningInTheNight: Yeah, Gaara's one of my favorite characters too! It's going to be a while until you readers see/ read him though… Fu fu fu… (I'm torturing myself too, you know. XP) – Hands you four pieces of cake –**_

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_**Asian Tinkerbell: Eh… too slow? I better ask my friend to help me speed it up a bit then! - Hands you three pieces of cake –**_

_**reychop: Thank you for your concern; I feel grateful for it. Wow, a long review – thank you for that as well! Yeah, I'm torturing you readers too much on his past, aren't I? I'm torturing myself too, you know – I have everything thought out and **_**really**_** want to write it but I'm holding myself back. Ah, so it is too fast! I was thinking the same thing. Thanks for your words and thoughts. - Hands you six pieces of cakes –**_

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_**Cherry-Coated-Confusion: I'll wash your back if you wash mine! XP I can't wait for your next chapter. – Hands you four pieces of cake –**_

_**DarkRavie: Thank you so much! I love compliments! - Hands you four pieces of cake –**_

_**JuMiKu: Yeah, I didn't want it to be with all the ninjas and such. My friend wants me to add in their ninja powers but I can't seem to fit it in anywhere. – Hands you three pieces of cake –**_

**Keep up those wonderful, plentiful reviews! **

**Also, this chapter is a bit fillerish because it doesn't really focus on Sasuke and Naruto's relationship, but rather the other pairings. Sorry for any disappointment from you readers – we'll go back to them in the next chapter! But, it would be just so boring without difficulties in-between, right? So, I'm going to make it a little complicated. Fu fu fu…**

**Hm, I don't actually have anything else to say… so, onward to reading!**

--

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"_Speaking in animal Form"_

_Friendship/ Close Relationship Messages_

--

**The Wolf, the Packs, and the Hybrid – Chapter Eight: Side Pairings Ahoy!**

It was a bright, sunny afternoon. The Coras were busy at harvesting while the Denas were tending to the Evas.

But there were two certain Denas who weren't tending to the Evas…

"Wow, Hinata this looks great!" Kiba shouted, scaring some birds away.

"R-r-really?" she reacted, blushing madly and fiddling with her fingers.

Kiba nodded his head enthusiastically as Akamaru nearly drooled at the food.

Naruto had given them a day off because he had thought that they earned it; many of the original Denas had taken a break, as well; the backup Denas had taken up their spots.

"Did you cook this by yourself, Hinata?" Kiba asked her, stopping Akamaru from eating the food.

Hinata slightly nodded, still fiddling with her fingers on her lap.

Kiba responded, "That's awesome!"

The she-Wolf just blushed even more.

"And this is really all for us?" Kiba inquired, making sure everything was true. Hinata nodded and added, "Neji-niisan l-let me…"

Kiba replied, "Wow, you'd think a prick like him could loosen up a little!"

After a while Hinata shyly asked, "Would you like some tea?" in a faint voice.

Kiba enjoyed being around her kindness. He smiled and replied, "Sure, let's drink together." Kiba smelled the fragrance aroma of the tea. It calmed and relaxed them both.

Hinata packed the rolled up onigiri in a bento box. She wrapped it in her favorite handkerchief that she carried around with her. It not only smelled nice, it carried her favorite azure colored daisy. "K-Kiba-kun…this is for you…" she smiled, blushing.

Kiba noticed her handkerchief. He gratefully accepted it for he liked Hinata's cooking. Their hands touched as he reached out for the daisy covered bento. They both reacted by blushing and backing their hands away.

"Thanks, Hinata…" he grinned and Akamaru barked, ready to chomp the food all up. After they finished their food, Hinata cleared up all the remaining. They walked in the autumn breeze: the leaves of autumn that Akamaru wanted to jump in and roll around in. He hopped on in, regardless of Kiba's order. His low howl and wagging tail that showed his happiness made Hinata smile.

Hinata petted him and held out her hands that Akamaru licked. Kiba smiled at their friendly interaction. The wind suddenly picked up and Kiba told them, "Akamaru, Hinata, let's go!"

Kiba walked her to her home as the furious winds raged around them. "Hinata, are you cold?"

"Um…I'm okay and we're almost to my house," she quietly responded. But he could see her modest self trying not to worry him. He knew Hinata enough to understand her more than anyone else since he spent the most time with her.

He blushed as he gave up his pride for her. He took off his coat and raised it up next to Hinata, facing the other way. Hinata stared for a while at his coat. "Umm…"

"It's okay, just take it…" Kiba assured her.

Hinata blushed like her usual self, accepting his coat to wrap it around herself. "T-Thank you… K-Kiba-kun…"

Despite blushing pretty furiously, Kiba replied, "A-ah, don't worry about it. Come on, we need to go home now."

Once they had reached the safety of Hinata's house, Kiba informed her, "Ah…you should rest…and…take care of yourself so you don't catch a cold…" – He faced the other way while scratching the side of his face with his right fingers – "I'll wash the handkerchief and return it to you…" he whispered so Hinata wouldn't hear.

Hinata heard but pretended not to for the sake of his pride. She smiled and nodded happily, flushing bright red once again.

"Y-you better go h-home too, K-Kiba-kun… you'll c-catch a cold i-if y-you d-don't…" she notified the Fox.

"Ah, you're right! Thank you, Hinata," Kiba responded, smiling gladly.

Kiba waved goodbye and went on home with Akamaru waving his tail behind him.

Hinata watched the Fox pair run away into the intense winds while desperately trying to stay up.

The she-Wolf clutched Kiba's coat with one thing on her mind:

'_Thank you, Kiba-kun…'_

--

"Lee, you really have to be careful during your training!" Sakura scolded the green-clad Fox.

"Do not worry, Sakura-san! The springtime of youth shall flourish with me!" Lee reassured her, waving his uninjured arm back and forth. Sakura giggled at this.

The rosette Wolf reacted, "All right, all right – but you should lay off the exercise for a while; your arm isn't going to be healed until about a week or so."

Lee responded, "Thank you so much for your concern, Sakura-san!" He was about to hug her but she blocked him with her hands; "Personal space, remember, Lee?" she reminded her friend.

"A-ah, yes- sorry, Sakura-san," Lee replied, stepping back a bit and looking down to the ground.

Now, Sakura didn't know this but Lee has a _very very VERY_ big attraction to her; he expressed this to her, day after day, since the first time he saw her. She finally gave up, one day, and accepted him as a friend – _only_ a friend.

Earlier that morning, Lee had accidentally torn a tendon in his arm due to overdose training; Gai had immediately rushed towards Konoha's infirmary screaming, "My poor student is dying! Please save him!" with falling animate tears. (They also managed to persuade him to have a checkup – many of the physicians there were worried about his abnormal personality.)

"Sakura-san, I believe the annual hot springs is opening today," Lee informed Sakura, lowering his volume.

"Ah, yes, I remember!" she responded, clapping her hands together, "Maybe Sasuke-kun will come with me in the co-ed bath!"

Lee inwardly winced; _he_ had wanted to go with Sakura – he didn't want Sasuke to go with her but knew of her strong "love" (as she put it) for him so he didn't protest.

"LEE!!" an over-enthusiastic voice called out, followed by rapid footsteps.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee reacted, turning around and saluting his role model.

"Lee, thank goodness you are all right!" Gai exclaimed, unknowingly attracting glances, "If I were to be the cause of my pupil's death, I would surely die!"

Lee assured him, "No, Gai-sensei, it is not your fault! I had forgotten to stretch one hundred times in the morning before meeting you which was my mistake! I should be the one to die!"

Animated tears fell down their faces (surprisingly, not flooding the village).

"Yosh," Gai said, after recovering from his tears, "after you have been fully healed, we will do five hundred laps around the village _on our thumbs!_" He gave a "Nice Guy" pose and a thumbs-up.

"Yes, Gai-sensei!" Lee responded, mimicking his teacher and his eyes closed merrily.

A vein throbbed on Sakura's (giant) forehead; "DON'T TEACH HIM SUCH UNNECESSARY THINGS!" she snapped, fisting her hand and…

… sent Gai flying until a star represented where he flew.

Fortunately, Lee did not see this because of his closed eyes so when he reopened them…  
"Eh, where did Gai-sensei go?"

"E-eh… he went for a… swim… in the… waterfall…" Sakura answered, thinking up each bit as the sentence went on, and waving her hand back and forth to dismiss the subject.

"Ah, Gai-sensei, even when you are in pain, you still train! I hope to be like you someday!" Lee proclaimed, animated tears falling once again and his fists in front of his face.

Sakura sweat dropped; (_'Lee, you're the one supposed to be in pain,'_ she noted to herself.); "So, Lee, how about I ask Sasuke-kun if he wants to go to the hot springs with me?" she asked, immediately recovering and putting on a dazzling smile on her face.

Lee just smiled back the best he could; in truth, he didn't want her to go with Sasuke but he had to be nice.

'_I hope someday… she'll recognize my love…'_

--

"Naruto, don't eat too fast," Iruka scolded the younger Fox, who was swallowing down each bite of his precious ramen.

"But!! Iruka-sensei, I haven't had ramen in months!!" Naruto complained in half-bite.

Kakashi's visible eye twitched; he knew the _real_ reason why Naruto was here with them.

He dared to look at the devious Fox and was stunned to find sharpened eyes at him that said "If you do anything bad to him, you're going to pay".

The mask-wearing Wolf inwardly sighed; he knew Naruto had a protective complex with Iruka because he had been with him since he was born – but couldn't the Alpha at _least_ trust him a bit with a moment with the Dena?

Kakashi heard Iruka audibly sigh and turned towards the two Foxes; he flinched slightly when he realized Naruto was watching him at the corner of his eye.

"S-so, Iruka, how have the Evas been lately?" he managed to ask under the Alpha's stare.

"They've been behaving well," Iruka answered, twirling his noodles inside his bowl.

**- This segment has been interrupted by the forwarded message. –**

(Naruto jumps in front of frozen scene.)

Naruto: Hi, everyone! It's me, Naruto!

- Insert fangirl screams –

Naruto (sweat dropping) : Eh, I'm not _that_ famous, are I?

Me: Of course you are! You have over 100,000 fanfics of yourself _plus_ two anime series!

Naruto (sweat dropping even more) : Okay… well, I'm here to explain Ichiraku Ramen's shop! Now, Ichiraku Ramen is the best shop because they serve RAMEN! Ramen takes forever to make, though, so it's a big delicacy here! Unfortunately, not many others savor them like I do…

Me: Of course not! You eat at an alarming pace _and_ seem to have a bottomless stomach for it!!

Naruto (frightened) : O-okay, we're going back to the program now!!

Me: WAIT! – Glomps Naruto –

(Awkward silence…)

Me (lets go) : Okay, bye, Naru-chan!

Naruto: Bye!!

(Naruto jumps back into frozen scene.)

**- The segment will now resume. –**

"Iruka-sensei, are you going to eat that?" Naruto questioned his teacher, stocking his fourteenth bowl onto his stack.

"No, here," Iruka responded, pushing his unfinished bowl towards the blond Fox; he instantly beamed and began devouring it.

Kakashi felt a vein twitch on his forehead; Naruto was using his enormous appetite as an advantage!! That way, he could keep an eye on them!!

The Wolf felt like banging his head against the counter at Naruto's wit.

A giant breeze was felt and Kakashi felt a menacing figure behind him.

"E-eh… Kakashi…" Iruka began to warn him of the upcoming figure.

"Please tell me it's not Gai or don't say anything at all…" Kakashi told the nose-scarred Fox.

Naruto replied, "Okay, we won't say anything then!"

Kakashi was about to retort but was disrupted by… "KAKASHI, MY ETERNAL RIVAL!" a (rather loud) ecstatic voice shouted.

The Wolf _tried_ to ignore the green-clad Fox; keyword – _tried_.

"So, many eternal rival, how has your training been going?! Have you gone on numerous missions lately?! How about your health?! You cannot be my eternal rival if your body cannot keep up with mine!" Kakashi could not ignore him with those _noisy, annoying, questions_!!

It didn't stop there; "I feel bad for you, Kakashi – you must go through twice the training I go through with a body like this!" Gai emphasized this by slapping (rather strongly) on Kakashi's back.

Iruka feared the Wolf's health and Naruto abandoned his worries to try to help Kakashi.

"Oh! I just remembered! Kakashi, it is _your_ turn to pick our match!" Gai stated, pointing at the Wolf to highlight his point.

Kakashi turned around, smiling through his mask and with his eye in a "U" shape as if he wasn't bothered by Gai _at all_. This caused Iruka and Naruto to worry _a lot_.

"My turn, you say?" he repeated with a vein threatening to destroy his face, "Well, then, how about…

"Hide and seek?"

Naruto and Iruka blinked at Kakashi's intellect.

"Yosh! Who shall seek and who shall hide?!" Gai questioned Kakashi, invading his personal space.

"_I'll_ seek and _you_ hide," Kakashi answered, as if Gai would accidentally mistake one for the other.

"Okay!" Gai responded and then vanished in the next second.

Naruto blinked and then turned towards Kakashi; "That was a really good way to get rid of him, Kakashi-sensei."

"Why, thank you, Naruto," Kakashi responded and then cringed; _'Drat, I'm still not off the hook!'_ he thought as Naruto begged Iruka for another bowl and saw the brunet give in.

'_It looks like I'm going to have to wait a little more… who knows? Maybe my patience will be worth it,'_ Kakashi secretly smiled to the thoughts of later that night; _'It'll _definitely_ be worth it…'_

--

"Aw, I can't believe Sasuke-kun wasn't anywhere in the village!!" Sakura whined, huffing and pouting.

"Sakura-san, if it's all right with you… _I'd_ like to join you," Lee suggested, stressing out the "I" part.

The rosette looked towards him and then made a decisive face as she placed her index finger under her chin; Lee felt hurt at the fact that Sakura had to _think_ about going to the hot springs with him while she wouldn't hesitate to go with Sasuke but simply ignored it.

Sakura thought out loud, "Well, the hot springs are always the best when they're first opened… and I don't want to go alone so… okay!"

Lee's eyes shined with hope and he reacted, "Really?!"

"But, you'll have to be careful with your arm," Sakura pointed out.

"Of course, Sakura-san!" Lee replied, bowing before her.

Sakura waved her arms desperately in the air as she responded, "Lee, you don't have to do that!" She looked back and forth between strange stares and nervously laughed; she pulled Lee towards the dwelling, who stumbled against her grip.

"Ah, Sakura, Lee!" Tenten called out, as they entered the abode; "'Trying out the hot springs?"

Sakura nodded and asked, "Are you voluntarily working?"

Tenten nodded; "Yeah, all the Denas need to run the hot springs eventually."

Sakura responded, "Ah, so do you have any room left?"

"Let's see…" Tenten checked her clipboard and flipped a few pages; "We have four vacant spots: two co-ed and two female. It looks like you two have to take the co-ed bath."

The rosette Wolf nodded his understanding and told Lee, "Come on, let's hurry."

The green-clad Fox allowed himself to be pulled by the she-Wolf, relishing the (brutal) contact.

Pretty soon, they were both sitting side by side in the bath; Sakura scanned the others enjoying the treatment as well.

"Lee, wouldn't it be wonderful if Sasuke-kun were here too?" she suddenly asked.

"E-eh?" Lee reacted, Fox ears alert, but then lowered them and his eyes drooped to the steaming water; "I-I suppose…"

"Yeah, and then I could admire that wonderful build he has…" Sakura said as she daydreamed.

Lee vaguely cringed at her words; _'Please don't let my jealousy get the best of me…'_

"Say, Sakura-san…" Lee called out, barely a whisper; however, Sakura did not hear him.

"… and then, during mating season, he could pick me and then – oh the wonders!" Sakura exclaimed as she clapped her hands together, water splashing slightly.

The Fox next to her noticeably grimaced and flinched at the thought; he didn't want Sasuke to mate with Sakura – he _himself_ wanted to mate with her.

As Sakura was busy telling away her fantasies to her friend, Lee was slowly boiling up with rage – why did _Sasuke_ have everything from her? Her attention, her thoughts, her _heart_? Lee nearly choked at the thought.

'_N-no, I won't let my jealousy hurt Sakura-san…'_ he reminded himself.

"… right, Lee?" Sakura inquired at the male Fox next to her.

"Yes, Sakura-san! That's wonderful!" Lee answered, unbeknownst to the question, and smiled brightly.

Sakura's eyes brightened; "Really? You think I'd beat Ino-Pig at claiming Sasuke?!" she queried.

Lee furtively recoiled at his answer; "O-of course, S-Sakura-san…" _'No, let _her_ take Sasuke and not_ you_!'_ were his actual thoughts.

The rosette's Wolf ears perked up; "Thank you so much, Lee!" She instantaneously embraced the Fox.

Lee blushed at the contact – it was usually _him_ hugging _her_.

After a while, Sakura blinked and noticed the weird stares others were giving them; she pulled away (much to Lee's displeasure) and blushed a bit; "I think the heat's getting to me," she used as an excuse.

"Then, should we leave, Sakura-san?" Lee questioned her; the maximum amount of time inside a hot spring was about ten to fifteen minutes depending on the age; if one stayed too long in them, they'd end up nauseous.

"Y-yeah…" Sakura replied, and then entered the girls' changing area.

Lee quickly changed and waited for Sakura to emerge from the changing rooms; after a while, she did while slightly wobbling.

"The hot springs are too warm on the first day…" she half-complained as she walked towards Lee.

"A-ah, then may I escort you home?" Lee asked.

Sakura balanced herself on Lee's uninjured arm and nodded with a small "… 'kay…"

Lee cautiously placed the rosette on his back and carefully strolled to Sakura's house, careful not to harm the Wolf in any way.

The always-exercising Fox gently laid the now sleeping Wolf on her mattress, caressing her perfect skin. (_'It looks like four minutes is her limit,'_ he noted to himself.)

As he stepped back a bit, he turned around and declared,_ 'Yosh! I shall work hard to gain Sakura's love! I will_ not_ let Sasuke-san win! I will train, day after day, night after night, for Sakura-san's affection!'_

He quietly tiptoed outside of the wooden building and then proclaimed to the entire village, "I WILL TRAIN HARD FOR HER!"

He was proudly smiling and didn't notice the strange glances people gave him.

The Fox then softened his features as he stared at his bandaged arm; _'But not too hard – I'll train hard enough for her.'_

--

If Neji was crazy, would he be stalking a certain lazy Fox? Would he feel this sudden lust for him that wouldn't stop coming? What if he had the insane feeling that you would burst without being – or even _seeing_ – that certain Fox? Well, Neji had _absolutely none_ of those so he wasn't crazy… or so he told himself.

The Wolf stared a bit afar behind a tree as Shikamaru stared out at the lake. The whole day, Neji had been stalking (_'I am not stalking!'_ he kept chanting to himself) Shikamaru, unable to lift his eyes from him. He wouldn't even spare a glance to Hinata for the whole day! (Luckily, she just wanted his permission to have a picnic with Kiba and he unknowingly agreed.)

Naruto's words flashed back inside his head: _'Come on, I've seen the way you look at him during our hunts!'_

'_Does that mean I like him? As in like LIKE him??'_ Neji pondered, peering over a bit; _'Okay, so maybe he intrigues me; maybe he really mystifies me at times; maybe I think he's kind and generous; maybe – GAHH!! I LIKE HIM!'_

Neji shook his head violently; _'I haven't liked anyone since… since… since ever! Why do I like _him_ of all individuals??'_

He heard a slight clunk sound and peeked over the trunk again; he saw Shikamaru sitting down on the ground and tossing rocks into the lake.

'_Stop thumping! Stop thumping! Come on, stop thumping you annoying heart!!'_ Neji inwardly yelled.

"… no clouds today…" he heard Shikamaru think out loud.

The Wolf dared to look back and saw that Shikamaru was now lying down on his back with his arms as a pillow.

'_What am I supposed to do??'_ Neji asked himself, nearly pulling his pulling his ponytail off, _'I want to tell him my feelings but how do I do it?! Go up to him and say 'I've had this feeling about you and you know what it is? It's love!!' Ugh!'_

In the end, Neji ended up staring at Shikamaru until nightfall, in which the pineapple-style pony-tailed brunet _finally_ walked into town.

'_I _have_ to do something!'_ Neji kept telling himself, slightly farther ahead of the Fox. With all his courage, he stepped up and blocked Shikamaru's path.

"Shikamaru," he called out, in a monotone voice, not very stern.

Shikamaru looked up to see who the person was and reacted, "Oh, it's you, Neji."

'_Don't talk to me with that bored tone!' _Neji screamed inside his head but said, "Yes, it's me."

After a few moments, Shikamaru inquired, "Do you have something to say or what? I don't want to waste my time standing here. So troublesome…"

Neji's fist clenched; maybe Shikamaru didn't know about his feelings but did he have to be so darn bored??

"I h-have something to tell you," Neji told the Fox, stuttering under perhaps embarrassment.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow; "Okay, give it to me then."

Two minutes of silence and Shikamaru was growing impatient; "If you're not going to say anything, I'm going."

He began walking around Neji but the Wolf yelled, "NO!" and trapped Shikamaru between a wall and himself, his arms preventing escape.

"Oi, Neji, what are you doing??" Shikamaru retorted – he didn't know what he felt; mostly anger, shock, and a little embarrassed.

"…" went Neji as he tried to figure out what to do next, a blush crawling up his cheeks.

Shikamaru felt a vein crawling up his head and demanded, "Neji, let. go. of. me. NOW."

He was about to push him away when he heard Neji mumble something.

"What?" Shikamaru reacted.

Neji answered, "I'll give it to you, then."

Before Shikamaru could ask what, he felt a pair of moist lips fall upon his.

'_What the-'_ he was about to shout in his head but teeth gently gnawed on his bottom lip. A wave of his excitement sprung up his spine. His eyes closed involuntarily as an intruding tongue slipped between his lips.

The imposing tongue lightly licked Shikamaru's tongue and then slightly wrapped around it before stroking and tasting his mouth; he unwillingly emitted a moan at the pleasure.

Shikamaru finally realized what was going on when a slim knee slid between his thighs; he forcefully pushed away Neji and snapped, "What do you think you're doing?!" before dashing off.

Neji just stood there, stunned at his actions.

The only thoughts in his head that were rushing were:

'_Drat, drat, drat, drat, drat, drat…'_

And one simple sentence that could drive Neji to despair:

'_Shikamaru will hate me…'_

--

"Iruka-sensei, where are you going now?" Naruto questioned the older male; he had stuck around the two because he had time and was rather protective of the nose-scarred Fox.

Kakashi was growing tired of this – Naruto was taking away all of his quality time with Iruka!! And an Iruka-less Kakashi was not a very nice one.

Said Fox was also growing tired of this – he liked Naruto and all but he just couldn't figure out why he was so clingy today! Most of the time, they would spend a chat with each other every day and spending time with each every now and then but today was just too extreme!

"So, Iruka-sensei, where are you going now?" Naruto repeated his question.

Before Iruka could answer the question, Kakashi interrupted, "Naruto, how have you been lately?"

"Eh? Well, I've been okay…" Naruto replied, a little confused.

"Really? Well, how has Sasuke been today?" Kakashi continued querying.

It took a moment before this processed in Naruto's brain.

Then… "Bye, Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei!" and a large gush of wind.

"Quite the techniques you have there, Kakashi," Iruka commented.

"Hm, really…" Kakashi put his arms around Iruka's shoulders. "Why don't I teach you a technique then?"

--

**I'm sorry for updating **_**really**_** late. I couldn't concentrate and then my friend eventually helped me.**

**Also, I have a poll for future stories but I don't really think I need it there…**

**I know this is a terrible chapter because, well, I thought it was a little rushed. Tell me in your review? Thanks!**

**Wow, thanks for all those reviews! I'm flattered. **

**This chapter was supposed to be funny… but I'm not sure it is…**

**Readers: Hey, what happened to Gai?**

**Me: Oh ho ho ho! Do not fear! For the extras have come here! XP**

--

Lee had decided once again to go to the hot springs to relax himself and Sakura had just woken up from her short snooze so she tagged along. ("Come on, Lee! The hot springs are so addicting that you can't help but go in again!" she whined.)

Tenten had told them there were more spots this time: three female, two male, and two co-ed. Lee had insisted on the co-ed because they had gone in that one at first and Sakura eventually gave in.

"We shouldn't stay in too long, Sakura-san, or else you'll end up woozy again," Lee notified the rosette.

"Ah, right, thank you Lee!" Sakura reacted.

Suddenly, bubbles rose from in front of the pair and…

"LEE, YOU ARE A WONDERFUL LADY'S MAN! ONE TO CARE SO MUCH ABOUT THEIR LOVE'S CONDITION IS MEANT TO LIVE WITH THAT LOVE!" shouted an earsplitting voice.

"Thank you, Gai-sensei!" Lee responded to the wet, _still green-clad_ double Fox of him.

The girls screamed and the boys covered their eyes as Lee's towel fell off.

"Lee!" Sakura yelled, pushing him back down into the water and then demanded, "Gai-sensei, WHY. ARE. YOU. HERE?!"

Gai flashed her a toothy smile and answered, "This is the seventy-third time I have beaten Kakashi at our matches!"

Sakura sweat-dropped as she thought, _'This shows how much you annoy him…'_

"Ah, Gai-sensei, even when you are losing, you are still strong!" Lee remarked.

Gai crossed his arms and replied, "Who said anything about _me_ losing, Lee?"

Lee's eyes sparked with thrill; "You beat the amazing Kakashi-sensei, Gai-sensei?! Now, I have another reason to look up to you!"

"Yes, Lee – I have spent _two hours_ under there because this is the only place Kakashi would not look!" Gai told his student.

The other inhabitants of the hot springs desperately tried to escape the scene as they couldn't watch the prospect.

A vein quickly emerged on Sakura's head; "Gai… sensei…" she muttered, fists clenching.

"Oh, yes, Sakura?" Gai responded.

"GET OUT OF HERE NOW!!" Sakura ordered as she (once again) smacked Gai into the sky.

"Wonderful youth, Sakura!" was the last thing they heard Gai say as he flew off.

Lee commented, "Yes, Sakura-san! Brilliant youth resides in you!"

"E-eh, th-thank you, Lee…" Sakura reacted; "Oi, it's safe to come in now!"

Bit by bit, the same occupants from before stepped back inside the hot springs.

The only thoughts on their mind were: _'Never come here again if Sakura isn't with Lee…'_

--

**XP So, how was it? It was my friend's idea for Gai to hide in the hot springs – she had a really good explanation for it too.**

"**Gai knows Kakashi won't go there because he knows of his obsession with Iruka so Kakashi obviously wouldn't peep on others." XP**

**I couldn't really fit in Sasuke anywhere much... if you're wondering where he is, I have no idea. XP**

**No preview – please don't whine. It took forever to update this and I haven't had much time. - - **

**Hot Springs Explanation: The annual hot springs only arrive during winter because the snow freezes up their only supply of water – the lake. So, usually Coras (and perhaps the Alpha) build this spring once a year so their Pack won't freeze to death. If any **_**cold**_** water is needed, they build a small stream that leads from the lake into a house where it will keep it from being frozen.**

**Review please? (Unfortunately, I can only afford cookies right now…) Thanks! Bye! **


	9. Winter Part I: First Snow

**DISCLAIMER****: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

**Summary****: Uchiha Sasuke is a Wolf, banished from his Pack because of his brother. As he strolls along the forest, he bumps into a Fox named Uzumaki Naruto. Only, he isn't your ordinary Fox – he's a hybrid. What happens when Sasuke is mixed up into Naruto's Pack?**

**Warnings****: (Supposedly) aloof Naruto, short chapters, possibly slow updates, possible OOCness, rating may go up, YAOI, SHONENAI, more warnings adding onto later**

**Pairings****: NaruSasu, KakaIru, ShikaTema kind of later, GaaNaru kind of later, ChoujiShika friendship, slight ShikaNaru, NejiHina sibling bond, GaiLee student-teacher bond, KibaHina, LeeSaku, NejiShika, ShinoKiba friendship, ShikaIno friendship, NejiTen friendship, NejiLee "friendship", AsumaKurenai?, adding on more each chapter or so**

_**IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE STORY, DO NOT READ IT! CRITICISM IS NOT APPRECIATED!**_

**Review Replies:**

_**m3rokoyui: Ehehe… sorry? Thanks for the review! – Hands you six cookies –**_

_**Jadej. j.: Thanks! Don't worry – Sasuke's back again now! - Hands you three cookies –**_

_**DrowningInTheNight: I'm so glad you liked it! My friend practically planned out the whole thing so you should thank **_**her**_**! She even wrote the KibaHina part! Thanks for your review! – Hands you six cookies –**_

_**DarkRavie: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. - Hands you three cookies –**_

_**Cherry-Coated-Confusion: Hehe, sorry – I needed to include the side pairings so I added a filler chapter. – Sweat – But, fear not! Sasuke and Naruto have come back now! - Hands you four cookies –**_

_**SUNTAN140: Ehh… sorry, pairings ended a few chapters ago… But, I'm glad you participated in it!! – Hands you three cookies –**_

_**MyStrawberry Kitten loves Yaoi: WOW THANKS! I'm so glad you like the humor! Unfortunately, I cannot write decent humor even if my life depended on it. - - Which is why my friend helped! She's hilarious! You should give the credit to her! - Hands you five cookies –**_

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**I'm sorry for the late update – it was the last week of school and I was **_**really**_** lazy because of that. But, fear not, summer break is here now! That means (possibly) faster updates! Yippee!**

**Well, I have nothing more to say now. Let's go read!**

**(WARNING: I think there's SUPER OOCNESS in this chapter… my mind is a bit sluggish so I don't feel like fixing it. - - Well… that and I'm a bit too lazy to. XP)**

**(Just an A/N: I changed Sasuke's shorts to white jeans. Yeah, he's sixteen or something in this so I had to fix it. XP)**

--

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"_Speaking in animal Form"_

_Friendship/ Close Relationship Messages_

"**Screaming at the top of their lungs"**

--

**The Wolf, the Packs, and the Hybrid – Chapter Nine: Winter Part I: First Snow**

'_Cold,' _was the first thought that came into Sasuke's mind. And not just "oh, it's a little chilly" cold – it was a "I'm going to freeze of death" cold!

He covered himself with his blanket to block out the icy cold wind but to no prevail.

Sasuke sighed in exasperation as cold air hit his shoulder, causing him to shiver.

Suddenly, his covers were yanked off and he yelped in surprise; he was met with a triumphant cheeky smile.

"Naruto, why are you here?" he asked, sitting up on his bed.

The Alpha pouted and crossed his arms; "Excuse me for saving you from freezing!" He replaced his pout with a smile and then tugged at Sasuke's arm; "Come on, shower and dress! Make it quick!"

"May I ask why?" Sasuke questioned him.

Naruto's smile grew; "You'll see! Hurry up now!" From there on, Sasuke was pushed into his bathroom.

--

"Are you sure you washed thoroughly?" Naruto inquired once again.

"Yes!" Sasuke answered, exasperated, "Naruto, I took a shower and dressed – what is it that I'm going to see?!"

Naruto shook his head and then reacted, "How can someone take a bath so fast without washing thoroughly? You probably skip scrubbing yourself or something because-"

"I do scrub myself!" Sasuke shouted, nearly pulling out his hair; seriously, how stubborn was this Fox?!

Growing tired of this issue, Naruto sighed in defeat and then concluded, "Fine, but next time, I'm watching you take a shower to make sure." The Alpha missed the noticeable blush that crossed the Wolf's cheeks because he looked out the window.

The blond Fox urged, "Sasuke, come on, hurry!" before pulling said Wolf outside his home. He stopped momentarily to ask, "'You want to borrow my sweater? It's pretty cold outside." "No." "Suit yourself," Naruto said as he lifted up the door cover.

Sasuke did _not_ expected to see a _white_ ground with white _frost_ falling from the _sky_; he reached to touch one and was surprised to see that it melted on his palm.

"N-Naruto – what is this?" Sasuke questioned the other male.

"Geez, you'd think you'd perk up at least a little seeing this," Naruto commented and then responded, "It's snow. Cool, isn't it? It's like frozen water falling from the sky!" His Fox ears twitched with excitement and his tail wagged happily.

'_Snow?'_ Sasuke repeated in his mind as he reached out again to touch the white water crystals; instead, he felt coldness and wetness rise up on his front side.

Sasuke growled, "Naruto…" The Fox just laughed as he saw snow melting on Sasuke's blue shirt.

Without warning, Sasuke threw a handful of snow at Naruto, successfully hitting the laughing blonde on the face; "Oof!" Naruto responded and then wiped the snow off, revealing a smirking Uchiha; "Oh, you're _so_ going to get it now…" Naruto told him and then tackled him into the snow, both of them getting wet because of the snow ground. After a while, both ended up laughing as snow slowly dissolved in their hair.

Naruto heard shifting noises and then turned around; he smiled as he greeted, "Hey, Shikamaru!" He waved as his face expressed joy.

Shikamaru grunted in response and then looked between the two: the simple bliss on Naruto's face told him that he was right about trusting the Uchiha.

Suddenly, Naruto's smile ceased as he looked at Shikamaru's face; "Oi, Shikamaru, are you okay?! You look like you haven't slept in weeks!" Worry replaced the earlier happiness that was on his face. Although he was grateful for Naruto's concern, Shikamaru felt bad that he ridded Naruto of his thrill.

"It's all right – I just haven't slept for a while, that's all," Shikamaru replied, blandly, turning his head away from his friend.

Naruto's eyebrows knotted together and then demanded, "What happened? Did someone hurt you? Threaten you? Blackmail you? _**What. Happened.**_"

Sasuke had never seen this side of Naruto, which caused to be a bit astonished; who knew Naruto could be _this_ protective?

Shikamaru, however, had seen this side of Naruto already and responded, "Nothing happened, Naruto."

Fury engulfed Naruto; "Don't tell me it was nothing! Lack of sleep can be dangerous, Shikamaru! I lost so many friends before – I am _not_ going to lose another!"

The taller Fox's eyes widened as he realized what Naruto had just yelled out; however, his close friend had not realized it until Sasuke stammered out, "L-lost friends?"

Naruto's eyes broadened as he recognized the fact that he spoke something of that in front of Sasuke.

"E-e-eh…" Naruto reacted, not knowing what to do.

"So troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed.

_I'll cover for you._

Naruto slightly mumbled something incoherent.

_Thanks._

Back still at Sasuke, Naruto informed him, "I-I forgot that I was b-busy today…"

Leaning towards Shikamaru, Naruto whispered, "I'll see you later…"

_I'm sorry. We'll talk about it soon._

Shikamaru faintly nodded his head.

With that, Naruto vanished, as if he was never there a second before.

The tired Fox looked back at the still sitting perplexed Wolf; "W-what did Naruto mean by 'lost friends'?" Sasuke queried.

Shikamaru slightly turned away before responding, "Naruto's past… has made a really big impact on him. It's been… really hard on him."

"His… past?" Sasuke repeated.

"I can't tell you about that – it's personal," Shikamaru notified the Wolf, "You're going to have to wait until Naruto's ready to tell you." He was about to walk away until he saw Sasuke's downcast look. It wasn't that he cared about the Wolf but if the Wolf was depressed, then Naruto wouldn't be happy.

"Naruto really cares about you, you know," he told the Wolf, whose Wolf ears perked up; "He _really really_ cares about you, but it takes a while to gain his trust." Again, Sasuke became dejected.

Shikamaru cursed himself; he was never one to say good words. "Err…" he began, not knowing what to say; "Naruto will tell you, don't worry about it." Sasuke's courage seemed to grow at this.

With those last words, Shikamaru walked away; he needed to piece something together since he saw how upset Naruto was. However, that did not stop his mind from thinking about Naruto's hope.

'_I've seen the signs between you two – Naruto's finally recovering from his past…_

'_But, if you dare hurt him in any way, you're going to regret it…_

'… _But I can't hurt you…_

'_Because you mean so much to Naruto…'_

--

Neji once again banged his head against a poor tree; he didn't care if it was freezing – he messed up with Shikamaru and now the Fox was avoiding him!

During the past weeks, Neji had been brooding on his stupidity and eventually causing self-harm to himself, which caused Hinata to be _extremely_ worried about her cousin's health condition.

It had gone on for who-knows-how-long, slowly tearing Neji apart. Now, when Neji thought that he did something wrong, he wouldn't let go of it, no matter how much reassurance was given to him; all he wanted was (insert name)'s forgiveness but if it was a _huge_ thing… well, it took forever to convince him out of it.

So, there he was, blaming himself about advancing on Shikamaru. He wasn't sorry for it – he just regretted it.

'_Idiot, idiot, idiot,'_ were the thoughts roaming through his head that time.

After a while, he finally stopped, dizziness having the best of him, as a giant red bruise grew on his forehead.

He clutched his temples but did not emit any sound of pain; _'Not enough pain, for this situation,'_ he thought to himself, _'I deserve more pain for advancing on him.'_

He was about to resume injuring his forehead again when he heard an unexpected voice.

"Eh, Neji, what are you doing?" Shikamaru asked, truly befuddled at the Wolf's actions.

"Sh-Shikamaru!" Neji reacted, covering his noticeable bump and looking for an escape route; however, a distressed Neji was not a smart one so, after seeing as he could not escape (however, he could have just run to his sides), he unceremoniously passed out onto Shikamaru's arms.

The Fox just blinked as he stared at the unconscious Wolf; he had come here to settle things, not heal someone!

"Oi, Neji!" Shikamaru shook the other, irritation etched into his every feature.

However, Neji _still_ did not wake up; Shikamaru sighed in defeat and then looked around for any witnesses; seeing none, he abruptly dropped Neji onto the ground; yet, the Wolf still remained out cold.

'_So troublesome – I wonder what wakes him up in the morning – maybe a bullhorn?'_ Shikamaru thought blandly.

Here was Shikamaru's already planned out scenario:

1. Find Neji

2. Discuss the issue about the kiss and such calmly

3. Bluntly tell him that he was not interested, if Neji _still_ did not understand

4. He understands and then they resume their peaceful lives

(However, lack of sleep managed an effect on Shikamaru's brain, leaving out precious details such as: how Neji would take it, if they wouldn't agree, if a certain Wolf _fainted_, and etc.)

Here was what was happening now:

1. Shikamaru finds Neji injuring a tree and himself

2. Neji passes out

3. Shikamaru tries to wake up the knocked out Wolf

4. Not yet in progress

So… Shikamaru had a small problem… okay, a _huge_ problem considering Neji was awful big.

'_I wonder what other parts of him are big…'_ Shikamaru pondered, eyes trailing down between Neji's legs; he realized he had just thought and then blushed madly, fume nearly spewing out of his ears. _'Why in the world did I think that?!'_ It couldn't be that Shikamaru was… was… was _attracted_ to Neji, was he? Shikamaru shook his head at this; he was a _boy_, and not to mention the fact that his first affair had been with a _girl_!

'_But… Naruto was a boy and he had an affair with Gaara…'_ Shikamaru reminded himself, _'But I'm_ not_ Naruto.'_

Shikamaru's eyes knitted in concentration as he processed out the percentage that he liked guys.

Meanwhile, an earlier comatose Wolf was beginning to feel the impact of all the soreness.

'_Ouch… maybe that _was_ enough…'_ considered Neji as he contemplated what was happening. _'I was hitting my head against a tree… Shikamaru came… I passed out… oh, drat, Shikamaru!'_

With that last thought, Neji scrambled up to his feet, snapping a nearby Fox out of his own thinking.

"Oi, Neji!" Shikamaru called out, watching the panicking Wolf try to stand up; "Neji, wait, I just want to talk!"

"Shikamaru, I am dreadfully sorry for what I did those weeks ago!" Neji shouted, bowing as his long pony-tailed hair covered his face.

'_Okay… wasn't expecting that…'_ Shikamaru reacted; "L-listen, Neji…" he began but then stopped and told the Wolf, "You don't have to bow, you know." Neji slowly lifted up his head to meet Shikamaru, eye-to-eye.

Shikamaru explained, "Listen, Neji… I forgive you… so can we just forget about everything that happened? I appreciate that you like me that way, but my feelings aren't mutual. I see you as a… colleague." He didn't know why but there was this small voice telling him_, 'No, stop! You don't want that!'_

Neji's hand twitched; he could tell that Shikamaru lacked sleep because of it because of the slight bags under his eyes. _'He really wants to forget about it…'_ "Sure, Shikamaru…" the heartbroken Hyuuga mumbled, barely audible.

The Fox inwardly sighed in relief, but for some reason, he felt disappointed at his choice; why, though?

"I-I'll get going then…" Shikamaru informed the other Pack member, back facing him.

"Sh-Shikamaru, we're still… colleagues, right?" he heard Neji ask him.

The now distressed Fox nodded and then left a brokenhearted Neji behind him.

'_Will my feelings ever be returned?'_ Neji questioned himself.

--

'_Brr…'_ thought Sasuke as he trudged through the now busy snowy streets of the Konoha Pack, _'Where could Naruto be?'_

It was only a short while after what had recently happened and everybody was out and about. (_'Maybe Naruto's outburst had something to do with it?'_ Sasuke questioned himself.)

He had been looking around for the Fox for a while and had no such luck in finding him. Not to mention, the breeze was picking up and it was chilly now. Sasuke sped up his pace a bit, arms folded as if it could radiate enough heat.

He finally spotted Naruto around the frozen lake; the Alpha was staring into the forest, as if waiting for something to happen.

The Wolf was about to call out to him until somebody unfamiliar came; he stood behind a tree and watched the scene.

"Naruto-kun, hello!" the Wolf greeted, a wide smile on his pale face.

"Hi, Sai," Naruto greeted back, a hint of delight in his voice; "How's your Pack been lately?"

The Wolf, Sai, responded, "It's been going very well, Naruto-kun – Roots has been living well, courtesy of you, of course." Everything was said with closed eyes and a smile.

Sasuke took in the appearance of this Wolf: his face was pale – just like his – and everything he wore was black; his shirt stopped just around his abdomen and he had a weapon on his back; his hair was sleek and he had a green headband on.

'_A Cora?'_ Sasuke thought to himself, confused – wasn't this Sai from another Pack?

He snapped back to reality when he heard Sai saying something; "…gift for you."

Naruto protested, "No, Sai, really – I told you that you don't need to pay me back."

Sai objected, "I insist, Naruto-kun; this is from the whole Pack so they'd appreciate it if you accepted it."

Sasuke saw Naruto sigh, obviously giving in, and Sai giving something to him.

"It's a flute, Naruto-kun," Sai told the Fox.

Naruto eyed the small wooden instrument in his hands with interest. It was a hollow cylinder with several holes in it; it was a light mahogany color, and it looked very simple.

Sai chuckled at the Alpha's curiosity and explained, "It makes music."

"You mean… music like that drum you gave me last winter?" Naruto asked.

"Well, yes, but it's different – you have to blow through a hole and then press your fingers onto the other holes to emit a sound," Sai clarified. Naruto placed his lips at the correct spot, blew, and produced a _very_ screechy sour note; the two winced at the sound.

Naruto guessed, "I'm thinking that it's not supposed to make that sound."

"Let me try," Sai suggested, gently grasping the wooden instrument, positioned his lips exactly where Naruto's were, and softly blew into it, sending out a much more delicate and soft tune. He looked towards Naruto to see an amused grin.

"What?" Sai queried, perplexed and frowning.

Naruto snickered and replied, "You know, some people would call that an indirect kiss."

Sai raised an eyebrow and questioned the Fox, "And, may I ask, what do these indirect kisses mean?"

Naruto chuckled and responded, "They're not that big of a deal – unless, you want it to be."

Sasuke silently fumed behind the tree – he wanted nothing more than to stomp out there and drag Naruto all the way back into the village, away from the Sasuke look-alike!

A sudden melody of slow, soft notes caught his attention. "Hey, I think I'm getting the hang of this!" Naruto exclaimed.

The thought of "indirect kiss" zipped through Sasuke's mind again, and the poor tree had a dent in its trunk.

Sasuke now noticed that their voices were hushed into a whisper but if he came too close, he'd interrupt it and would never find out.

Boiled anger rose when he witnessed Sai walking _too_ close to Naruto. Sasuke's eyes widened when Sai _kissed_ Naruto!

He never wondered why the rational part of him never showed up; his irrational thoughts were too powerful for him to think of anything else.

The Wolf growled viciously under his breath and then stomped away from the scene; he didn't know where he was going – he just wanted to get away from _that_.

When his conscience returned, he found himself immobile in a blizzard.

--

It was their annual meeting again and Naruto had been waiting for Sai to appear; he felt bad leaving Sasuke in the snow like that, but he had just blurted out a pretty big secret in front of him.

Sai had come after a while, giving him another gift yet again; Naruto had commented on "indirect kisses" which led to…

"Naruto-kun," Sai called out and then inquired, "What would a… direct kiss be like?"

Naruto looked hesitant to answer that; "You have to give physical contact for that."

"As in?" Sai continued querying.

"Like… your lips can kiss their cheek or… lips…" Naruto responded, a bit uncomfortable with the situation.

Sai contemplated this before asking, "Can I… give you a direct kiss, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto blinked and uncertainly replied, "Sure…"

The Wolf carefully approached the Fox and then leaned in.

Naruto realized that Sai was going to kiss him on the lips and then quickly turned his head away, resulting in Sai kissing his cheek.

"Naruto-kun?" Sai reacted, after backing off, "What's wrong?"

"Eh… the cheek and lips mean two different things, Sai," Naruto clarified.

"How so?" Sai inquired, frowning and completely baffled.

"I-I can't explain that…" Naruto responded, rubbing the back of his neck, "Anyways, thanks for the flute."

Sai nodded his head, smiling once again; "You're welcome, Naruto-kun! I must be on my way, now, however; my Pack is awaiting me back at the eastern mountains."

"Aw, now? You were barely here for five minutes!" Naruto protested.

Sai notified the Alpha, "Naruto-kun… you have changed – do you know that?"

Naruto blinked; "What makes you say that?"

Sai shook his head and bid farewell; "I'll see you again next year, Naruto-kun."

"Yeah, I'll see you then, in that case," Naruto concluded.

He watched the Wolf from the branch Pack run back into the forest and then thoughts were swirling in his mind – thoughts about _Sasuke_.

"Why does Sai look so much like Sasuke?" Naruto mulled over; a harsh breeze blew pass him, resulting in him shivering a bit.

"Drat, it looks like a blizzard's coming – I better warn the Pack." Naruto hastily sprinted towards the village.

But the real words behind that sentence were:

'_I hope Sasuke's okay.'_

--

"O-Baa-chan, is everyone safely in their houses?!" Naruto asked over the increasing winds.

"Yes, you idiot, now stop worrying!" Jiraiya answered for the female Fox.

"**IS SASUKE SAFE?!**" The two Foxes heard Naruto's panicked scream.

Tsunade voiced to the other, "We haven't seen him anywhere."

"Naruto, did you check his house?!" Jiraiya hollered.

"**I CHECKED THE ENTIRE VILLAGE AND THERE'S NO SASUKE! I HAVE TO FIND HIM!"**

Tsunade protested, "Naruto, you can't go out into the blizzard! It's too dangerous!"

Her warning was either unheard or ignored because Naruto had already ventured out into the severe winds.

--

"**SASUKE!"** Naruto yelled, his voice beginning to weaken after continuous shouting; where could Sasuke be? He couldn't have been frozen to death, could he?!

Naruto's face blanched; no, he was _NOT_ going to lose another friend!

With that thought in his head, he trudged through the thick snow, determined to find the Wolf.

After endless traveling, Naruto's legs bumped into something under the snow; the Fox's face was nearing frozen and his joints were almost immobile.

He forcefully pushed away all the snow and then found part of a blue shirt and part of a Wolf tail; "Sasuke!" Naruto reacted; he hurriedly shoved away all the snow and uncovered an unconscious Wolf; "Sasuke, you better not die on me!" Naruto hollered, his voice almost gone.

Naruto hastily unzipped his sweater and then wrapped Sasuke in its warmth; he hugged the Wolf tight until he heard regular breathing.

"Thank goodness!" Naruto breathed out, relieved; now, he just had to go back all the way to the Pack.

"I told you to wear my sweater," Naruto murmured into Sasuke's ear, embracing the Wolf tighter; he had to reach the village soon – the raging frost was catching up to him.

Sasuke felt abundant heat surround him everywhere, as his vision cleared up.

'_What happened?'_ he reacted, seeing nothing but black, even if his eyes were slightly opened.

He heard a familiar voice say, "I told you to wear my sweater" and then he was moving – but it wasn't his legs.

The Wolf's eyes widened in realization; _'Naruto!'_ He would have screamed it out but his throat and mouth were pressed tight onto someone's chest; the only passage of breath he had was through his nose.

He urged his left hand to move up and clutched onto the black shirt, as if his life depended on it; he felt tears well up from his eyes, for a reason he did not know. He was just really happy that _Naruto_ was saving him.

The next thing he knew, he was in a warm bed. His head seemed half-awake since he could not identify most items.

"Sasuke? Are you awake?" he heard a recognizable voice asked, concerned.

His thoughts were coherent enough to realize who it was: _'Naruto.'_

There was pressure to the left of him and he felt slender fingers intertwine with his left hand.

Unconsciously, Sasuke sat up (ignoring the "Sasuke, you shouldn't move!" caution from Naruto); however, his head will still too dizzy and jumbled to stay still so his head ended up on Naruto's left shoulder.

The thought of Naruto brought back up the scene of Sai kissing him and automatically, Sasuke lifted his head up once more and softly kissed Naruto's cheek.

His mind shut down and Naruto instinctively grabbed him before he could hurt himself; he then gently laid Sasuke back onto the bed.

'_Sasuke just… kissed me…'_ Naruto rewound the thought through his head over and over again at the possibility.

The Alpha's eyes softened and his free hand trailed across the Wolf's cheek. _'I should return the favor, shouldn't I?'_ Naruto asked himself. With that, he leaned in towards Sasuke and softly pressed his lips against his cheek – though it was against the side of his lip, in truth.

Naruto's hand never let go of Sasuke's the entire event.

--

**Eh… is it fluff? I'm not sure. - -**

**Like I said, I'm too lazy to fix the OOCness so you can complain about that.**

**I really found this chapter cute. Credit goes to my friend for planning it out! (Eh, I hope you don't mind me changing a bit of it. )**

**I'm trying to make sure Naruto and Sasuke's relationship isn't **_**too**_** fast or slow but I think it's ending up too fast. - -**

**The shower time scene really does happen in my life – my sister takes like two minute showers and she comes out CLEAN! CLEAN, I TELL YOU! XP**

**Im not happy with the NejiShika part – it seems too abrupt, sudden, and terrible. - - Maybe I should edit it later…**

**I'm a little distraught about the Sai part because it seemed **_**really**_** rushed. You can complain about that too.**

**Okay, I think because of the late update, you readers deserve a preview – YAY! – but it won't be that long – BOO! - . Boy, I sure can bust a bubble, can't I?**

--

"ACHOO!" The loud sneeze caused the whole village to quake.

"Hey, Kiba, what's going on?" Sasuke asked the Fox.

Kiba replied, "Only something that happens once every few years – Naruto has a cold."

--

**It's supposed to be a humorous chapter where Naruto and Sasuke's relationship develops. Maybe even Kiba and Hinata's.**

**We're permanently sticking with cookies now (with the occasional side of cake). Review please!**

**Bye now! **


	10. Winter Part II: New Sides

**DISCLAIMER****: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

**Summary****: Uchiha Sasuke is a Wolf, banished from his Pack because of his brother. As he strolls along the forest, he bumps into a Fox named Uzumaki Naruto. Only, he isn't your ordinary Fox – he's a hybrid. What happens when Sasuke is mixed up into Naruto's Pack?**

**Warnings****: (Supposedly) aloof Naruto, short chapters, possibly slow updates, possible OOCness, rating may go up, YAOI, SHONENAI, dry humor, more warnings adding onto later**

**Pairings****: NaruSasu, KakaIru, ShikaTema past later, GaaNaru past later, ChoujiShika friendship, slight ShikaNaru, NejiHina sibling bond, GaiLee student-teacher bond, KibaHina, LeeSaku, NejiShika, ShinoKiba friendship, ShikaIno friendship, NejiTen friendship, NejiLee "friendship", AsumaKurenai?, adding on more each chapter or so**

_**IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE STORY, DO NOT READ IT! CRITICISM IS NOT APPRECIATED!**_

**Review Replies:**

_**DrowningInTheNight: Hehe, thanks for the review and you're welcome!! - Hands you six cookies plus two bonus cakes –**_

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_**Mizuki hikari: Of course I will continue! I'm glad you like it. – Hands you three cookies –**_

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_**Kiru-ne: Yes, I'm still doing lemons but that's not until later. XP I don't think there's going to be that many though… Yes, you can have cookies now! - Hands you five cookies plus one bonus cake –**_

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**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I'm so glad that everyone likes my story!!**

**- GASP – I made it to my tenth chapter!! Let's celebrate! – Throws confetti everywhere – I'm still wondering about how many chapters this is going to have though…**

**Also, I'm thinking of publishing a new Naruto story soon so if you want a part in my decision, vote in my poll! The one with the most votes is the one which is written first! **

**I'm sorry for the late update… I've been spending a lot of time with my family and I have a **_**TERRIBLE**_** sunburn… Plus, my little sisters keep on touching it… TT**

**Okay… I think that's it. Enjoy the chapter, everyone! **

**(I have changed my username, for those of you wondering.)**

--

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"_Speaking in animal Form"_

_Friendship/ Close Relationship Messages_

"**Screaming at the top of their lungs"**

--

**The Wolf, the Packs, and the Hybrid – Chapter Ten: Winter Part II: New Sides**

"Sasuke…" said male heard a distant voice call out; "Sasuke…!" it repeated; "Sasuke, wake up!"

Sasuke groaned and groggily opened his eyes; "Oh, good, you're not dead," Kiba remarked, "You had Naruto really worried, you know that?"

Akamaru's large Fox ears suddenly perked up and he barked, alarming both Kiba and Sasuke; "Oh no, duck!!" Kiba yelled, pulling Akamaru down with him to the floor.

Just when Sasuke was about to ask what was going on…

"ACHOO!" The loud sneeze caused the whole village to quake.

"Hey, Kiba, what's going on?" Sasuke asked the Fox.

Kiba replied, "Only something that happens once every few years – Naruto has a cold."

The two Foxes stood up and dusted themselves off; "That's why we're here," Kiba continued explaining, "See, Naruto saved you from a super cold blizzard yesterday; usually, snowstorms like that wouldn't affect Naruto in any way… but he came back with you in his shirt and arms and he only in his thin black tang top.

"So, my point is that eventually the frost caught up to him," Kiba concluded; Akamaru yelped out the window where it was slightly snowing again and then hid himself under his paws.

"Oh no, duck again!" Kiba reacted, hopping back down on the ground; even Sasuke hid under the blankets.

"ACHOO!!" This one was much stronger than the last, tumbling Sasuke off the bed; he yelped as his bottom hit the floor.

Kiba looked up from under his arms and told him, "That's why you duck on the ground."

Sasuke glared at him and stood up; "Where's Naruto now?" He had just noticed that they were in Naruto's house.

"You're not allowed that information – hardly anyone has that unless Naruto entrusted it to you," Kiba informed the Wolf.

"So… does this mean that he's in some special room or something?" Sasuke queried, running his fingers through his blue-black hair.

Kiba, eyes widening, hastily replied, "No!" with his arms up, emphasizing his point.

Sasuke smirked and then responded, "Thanks for the info" before walking out of the house.

After a loud retort, Kiba and Akamaru hopped over the window; "Hinata!" he called out, searching for the shy girl.

"Y-yes, K-Kiba-kun?" she quietly reacted, hiding behind a bush.

Akamaru yipped as Kiba gently smiled at her and then smirked; "It's time to alert Lee now," he notified her, "Tsunade's test is going just as planned."

--

Sasuke sauntered throughout the Pack, looking for any house that could be "special". He didn't really see any house that could be special, actually, but hey, looks can be deceiving.

He stopped mid-step when he saw Lee doing push-ups with his body up in the air and only his hands supporting him each push-up.

The Wolf dared to walk up to the occupied Fox and questioned him, "Hey, Lee, do you know where Naruto is?"

Lee didn't bother to stop his exercise as he answered, "Nar-ru-to-san can-not take vi-si-tors at the mo-ment!"

"So, you know where he is?" Sasuke inquired.

The Fox responded, "Yes!" still not bothering to stop his exercises.

Sasuke's eyes showed hope as he asked, "Where?"

"Inside the village!" Lee declared, suddenly standing up; his Fox ears perked up and then he tackled Sasuke down while shouting, "Watch out, Sasuke-san!"

"ACHOO!" Several houses shook under the impact.

Sasuke (whined) growled out, frustrated, "Why is it that _I_ can never hear when those darn sneezes are coming?!" His Wolf ears pressed against his head in disdain.

Lee hopped off of Sasuke and clarified, "It's simple, Sasuke-san – it is because you do not have the youthful experience with Naruto-san like others do!! While they have bloomed into a beautiful lotus flower, you are still a budding stem!! But do not fear, Sasuke-san, for I-"

"I don't want to hear it," Sasuke interrupted, "but thanks anyways." He walked away, focused on finding Naruto.

"Yosh!" Lee cried out, "Now to tell Shikamaru it's his turn!!" The excited Fox rushed towards the frozen lake.

--

'_Where could Naruto be?'_ Sasuke asked for the umpteenth time, growing more frustrated by the moment; he had searched the entire village with only the clue "special house" in his mind; he groaned quietly in disappointment but continued looking for the Alpha, nonetheless.

He sauntered over to the frozen lake, not surprised to find a bored Shikamaru.

A sudden idea popped in Sasuke's mind and you could practically hear a light bulb click over his head (you could probably see it, as well).

'_Shikamaru and Naruto are close, aren't they?' _Sasuke contemplated; _'Well, considering he put a death grip around my neck, then it's most likely.'_

"Sasuke, I know you're there; just come outside all ready," he heard Shikamaru say and then sigh; was there anything in life that could excite Shikamaru for once?

After Sasuke had (boldly) stepped up from behind the tree and walked up to the lazy brunet, Shikamaru asked, "And what, may I ask, have I done to deserve this regal meeting?" (_'Troublesome…'_ Shikamaru noted.)

The Wolf ignored the sarcasm and questioned the Fox, "Do you know where Naruto is?"

Shikamaru gave him a bored look but inside, he was smirking; _'Let's see how far he'll go…'_

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," Shikamaru replied, eyes closed, and turning away from him a bit.

Sasuke felt dumbfounded at Shikamaru's atypical answer; _'Something _has_ to be up – Shikamaru would _never_ say that!!'_ Sasuke reasoned with himself.

"Okay… what's going on with you?" Sasuke queried; out of the blue, Shikamaru walked over to the tree Sasuke was at and clutched it tightly. Right when Sasuke was about to retort…

"O-BAA-CHAN, I TOLD YOU THAT MEDICINE IS POISON!!" and then a loud whack on somebody's head.

'_He _still_ hasn't drank his medicine yet?!'_ Shikamaru asked in his head; well, it was to be expected – Naruto hated medicine like how girls hated mice; yeah, his fear wasn't very manly. _'If he doesn't drink it soon, he'll up with something worse than a cold.'_

He wobbled a bit before regaining his balance and turned to Sasuke; "Do you want some help?" he asked to the staggering Wolf.

Sasuke accepted the offer, quietly, and then hesitantly asked, "… What was that all about?"

Shikamaru sighed and then replied; "Naruto has a fear of medicine; before, there was that certain someone who would keep poisoning his medicine just for fun; thank goodness he was a friend, though, or else Naruto would have died from his _real_ poisons."

Sasuke questioned him, "What kind of person was this guy?"

Shikamaru cast a tiny glance at the Wolf; _'Would it be all right for me to spare him some?'_ Gambling, he responded, "He had a weird obsession with puppets; I forgot their names, but they were trouble; worst part of it all is that their weapons are poison-tipped."

Sasuke stored all this in the back of his mind – it could prove useful later; he almost forgot about his reason for coming here; "Shikamaru, could you-" – He sacrificed his pride for this next word – "_please_ at least give me a hint to where Naruto is?" The "please" part was stressed out, whispered, and slightly distastefully said out.

The typically lax Fox's now dilated eyes grew with surprise; _Sasuke_ had just said _please_!! Shikamaru's legs rotated his body so that he was half-facing the slightly scowling brunet.

'_He looks a bit too conceited to be… begging, if you can call it that…'_ Shikamaru softened his features a bit before tilting his head in the direction of the village; "Look around the center of the village – that's all I'm going to tell you."

'_The center?'_ Sasuke's eyebrows scrunched together; what was so special about that place? _'Come to think of it… the center was pretty isolated…'_

Just when Sasuke was about to go right there, he caught a glimpse of something, though he wasn't quite sure it was true. He looked at Shikamaru a bit bewildered, shook his head, and then ran off.

Shikamaru didn't just _smile_, did he?

Said Fox didn't expect a thanks from the young Wolf – hopefully, the outcome would be thanks enough.

He had accidentally slipped a rare smile and caught it before Sasuke could determine if it was real or not; he turned around and stared at the sky.

'_Let's see if you're worthy enough of Naruto.'_

That same smile slipped again.

--

'_How could I have missed this place?'_ Sasuke mused as he strolled around the large area; he had caught a few Foxes whispering to another but ignored them.

Strangely, it was quiet… _very_ quiet.

'_What's with this Pack?'_ Sasuke queried, _'Why's this whole small area secluded?'_

He heard tiny sniffling sounds about two houses in front of him and sprinted quietly, then peering a bit over an open window.

A pouting Naruto with an _extremely_ red nose had several balls of tissue balled up around the bed he was sitting on; he was holding another tissue as his nose sniffed.

Sasuke nearly giggled – _giggled_!! – at the fact that Naruto could be mistaken as Rudolph; he covered his mouth to guarantee the fact no sound came out of it.

He heard a sigh and then someone stating, "You're never going to get better if you don't take your medicine, gaki."

Naruto faced the offending voice and reacted, "You know how I feel about that, O-Baa… Baa… Aa… ACHOO!!" Sasuke realized that the impact was much stronger from its source as he painfully landed on his bum.

He heard another sigh, and then, "Really, gaki, when you catch a cold, does it have to be this serious?"

Sasuke practically heard the impudent smile in Naruto's voice; "You can't blame me for having a great immune system!!"

"Then, drink your medicine," Tsunade responded. As Sasuke peeked over the small window again, he noticed how Naruto's skin had paled. "NO!" Naruto protested and then hid under his sheets.

"Naruto!!" Tsunade yelled, stomping towards the sick Fox and trying to jerk the blankets off the persistent Alpha; "You only have such a good immune system because of the poisons Kankurou poured inside your medicine before! You can survive another dollop!"

Naruto gasped under the sheets and revealed himself, pointing an offending finger at Tsunade; "So it _is_ poisoned!!" he shouted, face turning deathly white.

Tsunade felt a vein twitch; "NO, it is NOT poisoned, you little BRAT!!" She punched him thoroughly on his little blond head, causing a yelp to emit from said blond.

"Hey, don't hurt the sick!!" Naruto pouted.

"Then drink your medicine so you _won't_ be sick!" Tsunade pointed angrily at the small innocent two tablespoon cup.

Naruto gave a light sneeze onto his hands before retorting, "NO, THE MEDICINE IS POISONED!!"

Sasuke could not believe his eyes. It was true?! _Naruto_ was _afraid_ of _**medicine**_?! He unconsciously took a step back and cracked a stick under his foot.

"Gaki, did you hear that?" Tsunade asked, after giving another blow to Naruto's poor head; said Alpha was currently crying waterfalls onto the floor.

The brunet heard footsteps and he wasn't even able to move an _inch_ before the busty Fox-ette gazed around outside the window and spotted him.

Her eyebrow raised in confusion as she expected an answer for her silent question.

"E-erm, well, I-I was… I mean! U-um, I was looking for N-Naruto…" Why in the world was he stammering?!

Tsunade's golden eyebrows creased together before replying, "Naruto can't take visitors now" in a stern voice; "Besides, you can see him another day." Before slamming the window shut with two wooden curtains, she ordered, "Now beat it, kid!"

Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief as he replayed what had just happened in his mind; his surprised eyes suddenly turned furious – how _**dare**_ she! He was going to see Naruto no matter what!!

--

"Who was there, O-Baa-Chan?" Naruto questioned the female Beta.

Tsunade shook her head and answered, "Just another fan, brat – nothing to worry about." She waved her hand about and then continued her earlier rant; "THE MEDICINE ISN'T POISONED – JUST DRINK IT!!"

"NO!!" Naruto objected, hiding once again under his bed sheets.

Tsunade massaged her temples in distress – seriously, you'd think after four years, he'd already overcome his fear of poisons!!

She glanced over at the closed window and inwardly smirked. _'Let's see if that little kid can pass my test.'_

--

Sasuke trudged around the house in his Wolf form, his clothes abandoned and forgotten elsewhere.

His more acute eyes observed the area where he had jumped on a tree branch; it was pretty risky, considering he was a Wolf, but he'd deal with it later.

His shoulders were hunched as he searched for something that might help him see Naruto – but first of all, he needed something to distract Tsunade long enough for him to spend a good quality of time with his Fox.

Sasuke blinked as he recollected his thoughts: _**his**_Fox?! He shook his head violently to dismiss the thought and assured himself that the village had turned him into a lovey-dovey Wolf.

'_Aha!'_ he mentally shouted, unexpectedly spotting Kiba and Hinata walking nearby (he didn't see Akamaru but figured he was with them); they probably were going to visit Naruto. He hopped off of the leafless tree and considered the possibility of them helping him… Well, he didn't really care either way as long as they did.

Dashing, he abruptly stopped, causing himself to skim to a halt in front of the Foxes and Wolf. Kiba stood defensively in front of Hinata at first, only to realize it was Sasuke in his Wolf form; Akamaru's bristled fur retracted as he apprehended the same thing.

The red-streaked face Fox blinked before querying, "Sasuke, what – why – I mean -"

"H-hello… Sasuke-k-kun," Hinata shyly greeted, unnoticeably interrupting Kiba (well, he didn't know what to say either way so it was a good thing).

He nodded, showing her he noticed her, and said, "I have a request for you two."

Kiba quirked an eyebrow and folded his arms; "Oh?" Akamaru's ears perked up in curiosity.

"C-can you…" he trailed off quietly before stating louder; "I need you two to distract Tsunade for me."

"'Any reason why?" Kiba questioned the smaller Wolf, still in the same position.

'_Gah, they won't comply if I tell them it's because I want to see Naruto!'_ Sasuke finally became aware of; Kiba had said that the location was secret, after all.

"Uh, um, uh…" he unknowingly said out loud, trying to shrink into the ground.

Hinata, more observant that Kiba, noticed that from the entire morning to now, Sasuke had been _looking_ for _Naruto_; she smiled in appreciation. He was so close too.

She tugged gently on Kiba's sleeve (earning a questioning face from Kiba, which in turn earned him a red blush) and whispered slowly into his ear, "Let's help him, Kiba-kun – I think he deserves it."

Kiba took notice that _Hinata_ had not _at all_ stuttered in the sentence; his eyes dilated in shock and surprise – Hinata must have been _serious_ about this!

He nodded and informed Sasuke, "Sure, we'll help – what do we have to do?"

--

An urgent knock to their door stole her attention away from the stubborn blond; she ignored the continuous complaints from the younger Fox and opened the door; she was surprised to find a wheezing Kiba leaning on his knee as he gasped for air.

"Tsu-nade… sama," he managed, "Aka… maru… hurt… badly… need… help…!" Kiba coughed a bit into his hand; it was a good thing when Naruto and he were young, they'd always act out a game – where else did you think his great acting skills were from?

"Akamaru?" Tsunade repeated, changing from baffled to concerned; she knew how much the giant Fox meant to Kiba and so yelled, "BRAT, I'M GOING OUTSIDE FOR A WHILE – YOU BETTER DRINK YOUR MEDICINE BEFORE I COME BACK OR ELSE I'LL SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR THROAT, ONCE AND FOR ALL!!"

"I'D RATHER DIE!!" was the response but Tsunade decided to ignore it and slammed the door shut, waiting for Kiba to lead her to Akamaru. The slightly dizzy Fox quickly recovered from the impact and pointed towards the mountain, rushing off.

Tsunade followed, puzzled as to why and how Akamaru was hurt in the _mountains_ – it was much too far away from Gaara's house.

--

Naruto silently sneezed into another tissue; covering white with green snot and tried tossing it in the wastebasket; it bumped onto the edge of its rim and bounced off.

The Alpha sighed; being sick was no fun. All day long, he'd be stuck in bed, fighting with Tsunade about his medicine.

Speaking of medicine, he dared to glance at the innocent cup of poison-in-disguise and promptly blanched for the umpteenth time that day.

There it was, sitting innocently on the wooden table, purple essence lying in the translucent cup.

He _knew_ it was poisoned!! What medicine was purple after all?!

Naruto recalled the unforgettable events in his mind:

He had had a slight runny nose and itchy throat and Tsunade had told him that she had left a remedy for him.

When he had entered his room, there was a cup of purple on his drawer and he immediately took it for his medicine.

… He ended up in the infirmary for more days than expected with an angry Gaara painfully pulling on Kankurou's ear to apologize.

(The medicine was supposed to be blue but Naruto didn't know that.)

A sudden creaking noise snapped him out of his frightening memory; he rapidly twisted his head to see who the intruder was only to find…

"Sasuke…" Indeed, it was Sasuke… half-naked to be exact.

The pale brunet looked slightly ashamed to enter the house through the (now trashed) window without his shirt; he had hurriedly tried to find it but to no prevail. He had hurriedly muttered this to the other male.

'_Who cares if you didn't find it? You look better without it,'_ Naruto's un-innocent mind instantly reacted, sounding (and looking) very much like a dehydrated Fox panting, eyes greedily sucking the image before itself as if it was its last chance at life.

Naruto shook his head to make sure he wasn't going to faint – yes, faint. He was "manly" enough to declare that he fainted and not passed out (in his own little world).

Sasuke eyed for something that could look like medicine and spotted the hours-long sitting halfway filled liquid container and walked up to it, holding it up to examine it; nothing looked terrifying about it.

Just when he was about to ask Naruto what was wrong with him, he saw a huge hidden lump under the sheets, quietly sneezing and shivering (in fear?).

'_There really isn't much than to just gulp it down…'_ Sasuke figured he should have said this out loud but didn't; instead, he walked up to Naruto (cup still in hand) and gently shook his clothed shoulder; in turn, it stiffened.

"Come on, Naruto; the medicine isn't poisoned." He lowered his usual monotone voice into a soft, reassuring tone.

Naruto's eyes widened at Sasuke's assurance; a picture of a worried redhead came to mind as he promised him, '_Come on, Naruto; the medicine isn't poisoned.'_

'_Gaara…'_ Naruto hid even deeper under the blankets (if possible) and recited, _'Go away, go away, go away – leave me alone!!'_

Sasuke sighed and applied more force to his second push; if Naruto really did have a huge fear of medicine, he'd have to be gentle. "Naruto, just drink it; you'll feel better later."

'_Naruto, just drink it; you'll feel better later.'_ Worried eyes showed sadness, and maybe a hint of fear.

Naruto's eyes closed shut; "It's poisoned…" he weakly protested, hardly audible.

Sasuke's eyes flashed happily a bit that Naruto responded, even if it was a bit muffled; "Naruto, I _**swear**_ it's not poisoned." Why was he resorting to swears? His rational part of his brain had been abandoned, yet again. Maybe he was a bit desperate for Naruto to heal?

'_Naruto, I _**swear**_ it's not poisoned.' A small quirk of usually straight lips tilted upwards as Naruto peered out a bit._

Naruto peered out a bit and asked, "Do you _promise_?"

"I _**promise**_." Sasuke's black eyes softened, showing that he was genuine about it.

'_I _**promise**_.' Gaara's teal eyes revealed that this was an oath, a pledge… a promise that was true._

The blond hesitated before grasping the small cup gently and then slowly swallowing it down; he winced at the foul-tasting remedy traveling down his esophagus.

"If you weren't so stubborn about it, it wouldn't have hurt as much," Sasuke told Naruto, holding in an exasperated breath. "Is it better now?"

'_If you weren't so stubborn about it, it wouldn't have hurt as much.' The bed shifted as Gaara settled next to Naruto; 'Is it better now?'_

Naruto nodded, feeling how it was so uncanny and ironic that they had both said that same things... and yet did different actions.

"Naruto… canIgointhebedwithyou?" Sasuke rushed the last part, feeling _very_ embarrassed; he hugged himself to save warmth.

The Alpha blinked, a bit shocked that he was seeing so many sides of Sasuke today; Naruto replied, "Sure… but… don't blame me if you end up sick."

Sasuke trudged a bit over to the bed and then quickly dove under the sheets; he huddled closer to Naruto for warmth. (_'Forget your pride!'_ was what his conscious was saying right now.)

Naruto, unused to this, slowly wrapped his arms around Sasuke and then positioned his chin over Sasuke's nearly blue hair.

After a while, Naruto heard faint snores from below him; _'He probably had a rough day…'_

Naruto's thoughts were currently swelling up in his head; why did Sasuke say the _exact_ same words as Gaara? Why were their actions different?

His eyebrows knitted together as he continued thinking; _'If Sasuke did the _exact_ same things Gaara did…_

'_Then, he'd end up… dead…'_

The Fox stared at the sleeping Wolf, as if he would disappear any moment.

'_I fell in love again… didn't I, Gaara?'_

He looked down at Sasuke.

'… _That's what I was afraid of…_

'… _Love…'_

Naruto contemplated on his next thought.

'_Love slowly eats your heart away… leaving you nothing in the end…_

'… _but the journey through it will be worth it…'_

Naruto felt sleep start to overwhelm him; he hadn't slept the entire night before because he was busy gathering all the snow away from the village.

'_Maybe…'_

His eyelids drooped.

'_Maybe I'll join… this year…'_

He fell asleep, hugging Sasuke the entire time.

--

It had only been a minor injury to Akamaru's left hind leg; Tsunade didn't even need to look at it.

She hurried back to Gaara's house, hoping something positive might have happened throughout her time away (most likely Naruto drinking his medicine).

She noticed that the window was broken, the wooden curtains no where to be seen and that the window itself had some damages; she sighed – Naruto would fix it later, that was for sure.

The Beta looked inside the cabin, taken aback but what she saw: Naruto _and __**Sasuke**_ were sleeping together, hugging!!

Her eyes softened at the sight and then noticed the empty remedy cup.

'_Well, the little kid managed to get him to drink it!'_ Tsunade's eyes trailed back to the couple; _'Naruto must have a pretty big soft spot for him… He's even sleeping in Gaara's bed!!'_

She backed away from the scene, just about to scream, "IT WAS A SUCCESS!!" out to the world; however, she refrained from doing so; her lips couldn't help but twitch into a smile.

'_Looks like the brat might actually have a chance at love again…'_

--

…

…

…

…**? Is it just me or is this chapter really bad? - - Again, I am sorry for the long wait; I can't believe I gave you this terrible chapter after so long!! TT**

**I've been a bit distressed lately about my life but no one cares. TT**

**There is MAJOR dry humor in here, isn't there? TT This was my very first attempt at humor by myself; I know I failed. TT**

**Sorry about the weird-ish messaging thing between everyone in this chapter; I needed something to work. XP You can ignore it if you want.**

**Questions on the chapter?**

**Yes, Naruto was in Gaara's house.**

**Yes, Gaara lived there before.**

**Yes, practically **_**no one**_** was allowed there except Naruto.**

**Yes, romance is coming.**

**Yes, Naruto's past is coming up!!**

**No, there will be no lemons yet. TT**

**Before anyone can throw pitchforks at me, sneak peek!!**

--

"KYAA!!"

"Neji-niisan, run away!!" Hinata alerted her older cousin.

Neji, in turn, gripped Hinata's wrist and yelled out, "Uchiha, if you want to die then, fine!"

Sasuke, taking heed of the death wish, followed after the two, _several_ mobs of fangirls trailing after them.

"PLEASE, NEJI-SAMA, ACCEPT MY HEART!!"

"SASUKE-SAMA, MY LOVE IS ONLY FOR YOU!!"

"DO YOU TWO KNOW WHERE NARUTO-SAMA IS?!"

'_I've been wondering that too,'_ Sasuke thought as his life was placed on the line.

--

**Does anyone want to guess why the fangirls are all motivated with their "hearts" and "love" all of a sudden? ;) (NejiShika will hopefully be included in the next one.)**

**This chapter seems really bad – you're allowed to criticize it; I'll edit it some time later. - -**

**Also, like I said before, I'm posting up a new Naruto story some time later so please vote if you would like to participate!! (Hidden message: (Desperate) PLEASE VOTE IN MY POLL!!)**

**I think the only thing I liked in this chapter was the past relating part and so on.**

**Also, I can't help but torture you readers about the "join". It's going to come up soon; it's the climax, too! (I think…) 'Anyone want to guess what it is?**

**Well, I suppose that's all. Please review! They make me happy and full of joy!! (Long ones give you lots of cookies and extra cake, if you haven't noticed…)**

**Review please!**

**Until the next update! Bye! **


	11. Mating Season I: Valentine's Day

**DISCLAIMER****: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

**Summary****: Uchiha Sasuke is a Wolf, banished from his Pack because of his brother. As he strolls along the forest, he bumps into a Fox named Uzumaki Naruto. Only, he isn't your ordinary Fox – he's a hybrid. What happens when Sasuke is mixed up into Naruto's Pack?**

**Warnings****: (Supposedly) aloof Naruto, short chapters, possibly slow updates, possible OOCness, rating may go up, YAOI, SHONENAI, BOYxBOY, dry humor, more warnings adding onto later**

**Pairings****: NaruSasu, implied KakaIru, ShikaTema past later, GaaNaru past later, ChoujiShika friendship, slight ShikaNaru, NejiHina sibling bond, GaiLee student-teacher bond, KibaHina, LeeSaku, NejiShika, implied ShinoKiba friendship, implied ShikaIno friendship, implied NejiTen friendship?, implied NejiLee friendship, implied AsumaKurenai, adding on more each chapter or so**

_**IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE STORY, DO NOT READ IT! CRITICISM IS NOT APPRECIATED!**_

**Review Replies:**

_**7thtreasure: Thanks! Wow, I'm glad you like my NaruSasu pairing!! Erm… I'm sorry if you don't like KibaHina… but, it was voted for fair and square; I can't leave it out of the story but I'm sorry. If you cannot tolerate this pairing, ignore it. There won't be that much anyways… I think… - -; Thank you for your reviews!! - Hands you five cookies plus one bonus cake –**_

_**Mizuki hikari: DING DING DING!! YOU GUESSED IT CORRECT!! FOR THAT, YOU WIN THIS!! – Hands you two cookies, three cakes, and four chocolate hearts –**_

_**DarkRavie: Thank you for your review!! - Hands you three cookies –**_

_**shirilyle: Thanks for your review! Yeah, I'm really itching to write Naruto's past – it's coming up very **_**VERY**_** soon too!! Kyaa, I can't wait!! - Hands you three cookies –**_

_**Roz-chan: Really? Well, then, you're welcome!! I'm so glad it cheered you up! It made me happy too!! :) – Hands you five cookies –**_

_**.OO.: Thank you for the review! It was very nice. YES!! IT IS VALENTINE'S DAY!! YOU WIN A PRIZE!! – Hands you two cookies, three cakes, and four chocolate hearts –**_

_**Mizu Mei-sama: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! I AM SO HAPPY!! I HAVE NEVER BEEN CALLED "-SAMA" BEFORE!! I AM SO GLAD YOU LIKE MY STORY!! – HANDS YOU A DOZEN COOKIES, THREE CAKES, AND FIVE CHOCOLATE HEARTS –**_

_**Jadej. j: Thanks for your review!! - Hands you three cookies –**_

_**BlueEyedWulf: OO OMG, YOU REVIEWED!! YOU REVIEWED!! KYAA, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO ME!! 8D THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I ABSOLUTELY **_**ADORE**_** YOUR STORIES!! I feel as if I haven't given you enough praise – YOU ARE ONE OF THE TOP THREE BEST AUTHORS OUT THERE!! I can't believe that I am gaining praise from THE BlueEyedWulf-sama!! It makes me so overjoyed!! KYAA!! Okay… calm down… calm down… Sorry, I just can't believe that **_**YOU**_** are praising **_**MY**_** work!! … I really think I should work on my descriptions – they're terrible… - -; thank you so much for your praise!! I am looking forward to your next update!! :D – Hands you a dozen cookies, three cakes, and five chocolate hearts –**_

_**Hyrulehalfbreed: Thank you for your review! - Hands you four cookies –**_

_**namineheart12: Thanks for your review! – Hands you three cookies –**_

_**Fuoco Baisse: Wow, thank you so much! I'm so happy you gave me so kind words! – Hands you six cookies and two bonus cakes –**_

_**D. Akisira R. T.M.S.: Thanks for your review! I considering making him say "please" in another fashion… Fu fu fu… XP – Hands you four cookies –**_

_**Kai-Chan94: Yeah, colds suck. No problem and thank you for the review! – Hands you four cookies –**_

**Aww, you readers spoil me. Thank you all for the kind reviews!! Speaking of reviews, THIS STORY MADE IT TO ONE HUNDRED!! THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED ME AND WHO WILL HOPEFULLY KEEP SUPPORTING!!**

**Sorry for the late update… I've been a bit busy lately… - -;**

**Um… are wolves allergic to chocolate? OO I have no idea so… we're just going on with the idea of chocolate – okie dokie artichokie? :D**

**By the way, I know that Valentine's Day is when the girls give boys chocolate but for the sake of this story, I'm going to make it either gender gives the other (or same) gender a chocolate – so, both of the two Wolves or Foxes can give the other a chocolate. Okie dokie artichokie? It helps lessen problems.**

**Oh, and also, there might be a lot of suddenness in this chapter; I needed to speed things up a bit so… yeah. You're allowed to complain about that. **

**Btw, I'm pretty unromantic for those of you who are and want to know. - -**

**Also, PLEASE vote in my poll!! I want to know which story interests readers most.**

**Well, enjoy!! **

**(Btw, happy very belated birthday, Suke-chan!! :D)**

--

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"_Speaking in animal Form"_

_Friendship/ Close Relationship Messages_

"**Screaming at the top of their lungs"**

--

**The Wolf, the Packs, and the Hybrid – Chapter Eleven: Mating Season I: Valentine's Day**

Sasuke woke up, bleary-eyed and alone in a bed; his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion; Naruto was with him earlier, wasn't he?

He sat up, realizing that he was wearing Naruto's favorite orange jacket again; he unconsciously smiled but then quickly frowned – where was Naruto?

The now awake Wolf trudged outside, noting the now fixed window; did Naruto do that? Sasuke looked up to the sky to see the sun nearing the middle of the sky; well, it made sense – he could the rustle and bustle from the edges of the village.

Sasuke nonchalantly strolled through the village, accidentally bumping into the Hyuuga cousins. "Sorry," he mumbled under his breath. He noticed the two were holding hands.

"I-It's okay, S-Sasuke-kun," Hinata replied, shyly smiling. Neji cocked an eyebrow at what Sasuke was wearing, whom shrugged in response.

"Hey, do you two know where Naruto is?" Sasuke decided to ask; he had grown accustomed to asking people for help and that it wasn't useless – proof from yesterday that that was true.

Neji answered, "He's probably hiding from _them_… it's a smart move too…Today, they're more crazy than usual…"

"Them?" Sasuke repeated, obviously forgotten who they were; "What's today?"

"T-today's… Valentine's D-Day… the start of m-mating season…" Hinata replied, her grip tightening on Neji's hand; the said brunet scowled a bit and slid his hand away from his cousin's tight grip; "Hinata, I'm not a child – I can defend myself against _them_."

Suddenly, Hinata and Neji's Wolf ears perked, along with Sasuke's.

"Oh no…" Sasuke thought out loud.

"**KYAA!!**"

"Neji-niisan, run away!!" Hinata alerted her older cousin.

Neji, in turn, gripped Hinata's wrist and yelled out, "Uchiha, if you want to die then, fine!"

Sasuke, taking heed of the death wish, followed after the two, _several_ mobs of fangirls trailing after them.

"**PLEASE, NEJI-SAMA, ACCEPT MY HEART!!**"

"**SASUKE-SAMA, MY LOVE IS ONLY FOR YOU!!**"

"**DO YOU TWO KNOW WHERE NARUTO-SAMA IS?!**"

'_I've been wondering that too,'_ Sasuke thought as his life was placed on the line.

--

Shikamaru yawned as he stared at the clouds; they looked mildly disheveled today… He heard the distinct screeches of fangirls proclaiming their love and sighed; _'Troublesome…'_

Now, everyone knew there would _always_ be a limit to using a word, right? Wrong. Ever since Neji had understood Shikamaru's feelings about the two together, the lazy brunet had only a bit more sleep than before, grouchier than ever and muttering "troublesome" at everything. (You'd think he'd realize he annoyed others more than the other way around!)

Once Shikamaru had finally decided to face the facts, he concluded it all:

He was in love with Hyuuga Neji.

Yep, as simple as that: Nara. Shikamaru. Was. In. Love. With. Hyuuga. Neji.

When Shikamaru had suggested that in his mind, he slammed his head against a poor defenseless tree, which seemed to have had enough suffering as it was. (Yeah, it was the tree Neji banged his head on. XP)

And when Shikamaru realized how _childish_ he was being about the fact, he faced reality. He had figured out that he was in love with Neji… and was pretty happy about it.

'_Now… what do I do?'_ Shikamaru lazily asked himself, sitting upright, staring at the clouds as if they would answer his question. _'Let's see… I've had a _tad_ bit more sleep but not fully… Before I knew I loved Neji, I couldn't sleep a wink… and now that I do, I can sleep a bit more peacefully…'_ Shikamaru was never good at his own feelings – mainly because he was normally _bored_.

A whiff of a familiar scent caught his attention, and he instantly turned towards the direction; Shikamaru was conscious during all this and whined, _'It's too early for heat to come!!'_ Yeah, heat was coming soon and Valentine's Day was considered a day for picking out a mate.

Shikamaru stared at the small square box he was given; rules stated that each member of the Pack obtained one box of chocolate, giving it to their "one true love" or, as Shikamaru simply saw it, mate. He still had no clue as to how Naruto made enough for the whole Pack in one day.

But, back to the main point, Shikamaru wondered if he should give it to _Neji_. _'Well, I could always just run up to him and declare that I love him within a dying heartbeat and then cry my worries away… nahh, that would be too troublesome… and Lee-like…'_ He shivered at the thought of acting like Lee.

"Shikamaru…?" a recognizable voice called out.

Said brunet could not stop eye contact after that.

--

Neji wheezed for air as he balanced his arms on his bent legs; he had lost those annoying fangirls already but had lost Hinata and Sasuke in the process. Now, he had to find his cousin before that Wolf's fangirls could raid over her!!

Sweat beads were beginning to form on his forehead, though he could see why; those pestering she-Wolves were quickening very rapidly… that could have been due to the diet and exercise they demanded from Naruto…

His ponytail was nearly out of place, his hair tie nearly falling off; you could say his hair looked almost like Hinata's long hair.

He panted for air, not caring about himself but about Hinata. Neji stumbled a bit as he took a step forward; he was more exhausted than he had thought he was.

Neji held onto a tree for balance as he gasped for more air; he _seriously_ needed to start exercising now… maybe he could ask Lee…

He raised his head to see that he had trailed all the way to the lake; _'Wait… the lake…? Then, that means…!'_ "Shikamaru…?" he called out.

In an instant, he was in eye contact with the lazy brunet… but… his eyes… they seemed a bit… _content_ than before…

"Hi…?" he tentatively asked, after a while; the pregnant silence was bugging Neji, unnerving him quite a bit.

Neji, feeling as if he shouldn't be there, said, "I-I think I should go now… bye, Shikamaru!" He was about to turn and run but Shikamaru's shout of "Wait!" stopped him.

'_Oh geez, I can't believe I let myself slip up like that…'_ Shikamaru scolded himself; well, he had no choice now. He picked up his box and said, "Catch, Neji."

Neji caught the small cube, hands closing around it; "Shikamaru…" he mumbled out. Then, he suddenly felt dejected – he had thrown away his chocolate! "Don't worry – I couldn't care more about your chocolate" – Shikamaru's voice suddenly invaded his thoughts – "I'm just glad that you have mine's – you look nicer without your hair tie, by the way."

The Wolf stared at Shikamaru; he examined his gentle eyes, happy smile, relaxed composure… wait, smile?! Before Neji could confirm that _Shikamaru_ was actually _smiling_, the pony-tailed brunet was lying back down on his back, his arms folded behind head, admiring the various clouds in the sky again.

Neji smiled and then decided to use the opportunity; even if it didn't work… at least he went down trying. He walked up to relaxing Shikamaru and hovered over him, his head upside on Shikamaru's vision and vise versa.

"What?" Shikamaru queried, staring at the smile on Neji's lips.

Unexpectedly, Shikamaru felt slightly chapped lips meet his and he did nothing to stop it; once the chaste kiss stopped, Neji peered into the Fox's eyes and proposed, "Will you be my mate, Shikamaru?"

--

Sakura panted for air for a bit and tucked a loose strand of her (abnormally) pink hair behind her ear; seriously, she couldn't find her "beloved" Sasuke-kun!

Right… beloved… She _did_ love the beautiful Wolf right? Right, because _all_ the other girls were in love with him too! Yeah, yeah, so she _had_ to love him too…

Sakura leaned against a wall, a bit out of breath; who was she kidding… it was obvious that Sasuke didn't love her… Why was she acting like an insane fangirl anyways? … Oh yeah, Ino-pig betted that she could win his heart first…

The rosette Wolf sighed as she finally caught her breath; seriously, she needed to think more coherently; the last time she acted like this, she ended up in the infirmary for who-knows-how-long (she didn't remember the reason… so it must have been _that_ bad).

The misled female stared at the chocolate in her hands; maybe she could find some other love…

"SAKURA-SAN!!" an all-time irreplaceable voice screeched into her ear; really, she didn't mind – at least he wasn't as loud as Naruto.

"Good afternoon, Lee!" Sakura greeted to the approaching Fox, her emerald eyes softening; she didn't know why or how, but whenever she was done, Lee would be just right next to her to cheer her up.

The arm-waving Fox toothily smiled in response, but then accidentally tripped on his feet, sending him skidding all the way to Sakura; said Wolf blinked at the currently head-buried Pack member before trying to cover up her laugh and bits of giggles at the funny way Lee's butt stood up from the ground.

As Lee shook the dirt out of his messed-up hair, Sakura (tried to) apologized, "Lee, I'm (giggle) so s-sorry! (Short laugh) Y-you (giggle again) j-just look so fu-fu-fun-" She couldn't even finish her sentence as she burst into a fit of giggles and laughs.

Lee smiled at her and then replied, "No worries, Sakura-san! When down in hopes, you must brighten your spirit with joys of bliss and youth!!" He beamed happily to her and then gently asked, "Why were you sad, though, Sakura-san? Someone tremendous like you shouldn't have a frown on your face."

Sakura instantly stopped laughing after Lee's gentle question; she looked down dejectedly and responded, "I realized I was being stupid." "One as intelligent and sensible and youthful as you can _not_ be declared as 'stupid', Sakura-san!" Lee immediately shouted, standing up to highlight his point, and catching a few strange glances.

"… Thank you, Lee." Lee then remembered why he came here; "Sakura-san! I have come here to give you a gift!" He searched all over his green suit for something, scrunching his eyebrows when he couldn't find it anywhere; he began revolving around and around, his arms trying to reach behind him to find what they were looking for.

The rosette Wolf once again giggled at Lee's actions, until something fell out of Lee's leg socket. She picked it up and examined it, knowing fully well that it was his chocolate; "Lee," she called out.

Said bowl-cut brunet turned around, his arms and legs in a tangle frenzy; his eyes lightened at the small box Sakura was holding; "Sakura-san, you are so wonderful and talented that you have even found what _I_ was looking for! How marvelous you are, Sakura-san!" he exclaimed, surprisingly able to unhook his limbs.

"Eh, no, Lee – it just fell out of your pocket," Sakura explained, watching Lee snake through his tangled arms and legs. Once done, Sakura was about to give the box back, only for Lee to push it back.

He clarified, "Sakura-san, that is for you. You are so magnificent and clever and beautiful that I know no chocolate in the world can match your marvel. This comes from the bottom of my heart, Sakura-san – you truly are the most _brilliant_ one in the world."

Sakura felt awestruck by Lee's sincere words and tone – he actually sounded… sounded _normal_ for once! "L-Lee… did you practice that speech?" Sakura questioned her admirer.

"Eh… well… it took me a while to talk like this, Sakura-san…" Lee modestly answered but then added, **"BUT I PREFER EXCLAIMING MY FEELINGS TO THE WORLD, SAKURA-SAN, SO I SHALL-"**

Sakura clamped her hand down on Lee's mouth as Lee continued talking, sounds muffled and incoherent due to the hand; "Lee, how about we talk about this somewhere more… private?" she suggested, a bit bothered by the constant glances.

Lee nodded as he was dragged to a house – Sakura's house to be exact. "Sakura-san! What an honor it is to be here in your glorious house!" he excitedly yelled out, tears running down his face.

"Yeah…" Sakura reacted, sitting down on her bed and signaling for Lee to sit next to her; "So… 'mind to finish your earlier sentence?"

The green-clad Fox blinked before realizing what Sakura was requesting for; **"RIGHT AWAY, SAKURA-SAN!! I PREFER EXCLAIMING MY FEELINGS TO THE WORLD SO I SHALL SAY THIS: SAKURA-SAN, I LOVE YOU!!"**

Sakura was a bit taken back by the sudden love confession (well, it was to be expected – after all, the person saying it was _Lee_), both flattered and embarrassed; it was loud enough to hear throughout the _world_!

However, his flattery managed to dominate her embarrassment; "Thank you… Lee…" She stared down at the chocolate in her hands and then thought, _'He's much more appreciative than Sasuke-kun…'_

"Sakura-san," – Lee's voice broke through her thoughts – "I believe I should be going now – Gai-sensei told me to be back by the afternoon!"

"Wait, Lee!" Sakura called out before the miniature Gai could leave; "I… I want to give you something…"

Lee halted his steps, curious as to what Sakura would have to give to him.

Sakura dipped her hand into her pocket, rummaging for her own chocolate; when found, she tossed it over to Lee, whose eyes widened in disbelief when recognized.

"But, Sakura-san – for me – accepting this – such an honor -" His words were all jumbled up, showing how shocked he was.

"Lee, it's all right. I _want_ to give you it so, please, take it," Sakura assured the Fox.

Said Fox nodded enthusiastically and then exclaimed, "Thank you, Sakura-san!" before running out of her house.

The she-Wolf stared contently at Lee's Valentine before opening it. _'Lee would sure be a better mate than Sasuke-kun…'_ she thought as she bit into the sweet.

--

Hinata glanced back and forth as her fingers involuntarily prodded each other; Neji-niisan was gone and nowhere to be found! Even Sasuke-kun had disappeared! Now, she was lost and Neji-niisan could be in the grasp of those menacing fangirls!

Where could they have gone? The sunset was nearing so the day was almost done… but! Those girls were vicious and would pry Neji-niisan to pieces! With that horrible thought in mind, Hinata continued searching.

'_Calm down, H-Hinata… calm d-down… N-Neji-niisan can take care of h-himself… he said so…'_ she tried to assure herself, _'He can handle a few of them…'_

She heard footsteps behind her and instinctively her Wolf ears perked up; _'I'm not sure I can though!'_ she told herself as she calmed down a bit, trying to figure out who was behind her.

The footsteps quickened their pace, Hinata still unsure of who the individual was (she always did had a bit of a problem concentrating at times…).

A hand clamped onto her shoulder and Hinata instinctively yelped, surprised. "Hinata, Hinata, don't worry – it's me!" a familiar voice guaranteed her.

Her face showed confusion as she turned around and uncertainly reacted, "Kiba… kun?"

She heard a recognizable yip and saw a giant tail-wagging Fox and a relieved Kiba.

Kiba exhaled in relief and explained, "Hinata, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Hinata blushed as her fingers continued prodding each other; "Really…?" she queried.

Kiba enthusiastically nodded his head and exclaimed, "I wanted to give you my chocolate!" He presented her a small triangular box, in which everyone was supposed to receive; however, his had a small blue ribbon wrapped around it in a bow. "I didn't know what else to add so I just added that…" Kiba informed her, a bit embarrassed.

Hinata gratefully accepted the gift, her delicate fingers tracing the small ribbon. She smiled and then reached for her own box.

"Here, Kiba-kun." Her slender fingers gently placed it in his larger hand.

Kiba's eyes glimmered happily and he smiled hugely; "Thank you, Hinata!" he screamed out, hugging the long-haired brunette.

The Wolf blushed but hugged back, nonetheless; she smiled back and giggled a bit when Kiba snuggled her neck a bit.

A loud sharp bark brought them away from each other, and Akamaru whined at the ignorance they gave him, ears tucked against his head. He couldn't stand being ignored!

Kiba laughed and ruffled Akamaru's head, whilst Hinata petted his back. Akamaru yipped in happiness; okay, he would be able to stand through this!

--

Iruka sighed as the Evas hurried to bed; sometimes, they were just too much! A juice spill, a kick, a wee on a chair – this class needed total discipline!

"Iruka-sensei!" He heard Tenten shout, quite urgently to be exact, "Konohamaru is standing on top of the book shelf and I can't reach him!!"

"WHAT?!" Iruka immediately reacted, standing up from his chair and running out of the room. **"KONOHAMARU, GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANCE!!"**

"Haha, no way! I'm the leader of the Pack!!" Konohamaru cheekily responded, swinging a stick that he had; "All, kneel down before me!"

"Konohamaru!" Tenten nagged, "Get down here and go to sleep!"

"No way!" Konohamaru retorted, "Udon, Moegi, don't give in to the urge!!"

Udon rubbed his snot and then replied, "But, Konohamaru… the pillows… they're so comfy…"

Konohamaru responded, "Don't give in to it!! Fight it! Fight, fight, fight!!" Before he knew it, Udon and Moegi had fallen asleep, lulled by the comfortable pillows and blankets.

"Fine, traitors!" the Fox retorted, absently swinging his stick around.

Tenten shrieked, "You're going to hurt somebody with that!"

Iruka added, "Konohamaru, that stick could be filled with ants and spiders!" **"SPIDERS?!"** Konohamaru screeched out, instantly dropping the stick.

Iruka ordered, "Tenten, you get rid of the stick and I'll try and get Konohamaru down." Tenten nodded in response and picked up the supposedly infected branch.

As Tenten carefully disposed of the limb, Iruka tried consoling Konohamaru down; "Come down now. It's dangerous up there! Everyone needs their nap now!"

Konohamaru, being a _bit_ too high, wailed, "I-I'm way too up high! I'm scared! Naruto-niisan!! Naruto-niisan, help me!!"

The next minute, Konohamaru found himself on the ground "… Huh?"

"Now, now, youngster – if you keep on relying on Naruto to save you, you'll just end up troubling him," someone scolded him.

"Oh yeah?! What do you know about Naruto-niisan?!" Konohamaru yelled back, obviously angered by the statement.

Iruka sighed and massaged his temples in his hand; _'Kakashi… you're supposed to get him to sleep, not _provoke_ him…'_

Kakashi smiled and answered, "Well, I know he'd want you to sleep so you can surpass him someday."

"Right! I'll show you! One day, I'll beat Naruto-niisan and you!" Konohamaru stated and then rushed into his sleeping bag.

Iruka blinked; "Kakashi-"

"No need for thanks," Kakashi interrupted, embracing the smaller Fox; _'Ah, how I longed for this…'_ He sighed in contentment.

"KAKASHI!!" Iruka's voice broke through his state of bliss and a sharp stinging pain was residing in his right cheek now.

He winced in pain as Iruka scolded him; "Don't grope my butt in front of innocent children!"

"They're asleep," Kakashi reminded, still rubbing his cheek.

"Still!!" Kakashi could see Iruka furiously blush and he couldn't help but smile.

"… Ehh? Kakashi, you're not reading your perverted book…" Iruka finally noticed.

Kakashi, already knowing this, nodded; "I'll give up anything for you, my love!" he happily declared, arms wide open.

Iruka, realizing that Kakashi knew this already, slightly pouted before asking, "Was there something you needed from me?"

The mask-wearing Wolf placed his index finger under his chin, as if in deep thought, and then answered, "Well, no, it's more of something _for_ you."

"… For me?" Iruka repeated, confused.

Kakashi rummaged through his pant pocket, taking out various items; "Let's see… ball of yarn… rubber ducky… picture of Iruka when he's not with me…" he muttered out as he pulled out said items. (Iruka blushed when he saw his picture; apparently, the picture was of him in the showers but he was too embarrassed to yell at the Wolf.)

"Aha!" Kakashi exclaimed in triumph as he held up a small violet oval-ish box. "For you," he said as he bowed before his lover, as if proposing for his hand in marriage.

Iruka blushed at the position Kakashi was doing in front of him; "Ka-Kakashi, I think that" – a loud snore interrupted his sentence – "we should take this somewhere else!" Iruka quickly changed his sentence as he dragged his lover outside of the Evas' bedroom.

'…

'… _What does 'grope' mean…?'_ Konohamaru wondered.

--

"M-mate?!" Shikamaru repeated, obviously not expecting that; he nearly bonked his head against Neji's, if said Wolf didn't move his head.

"Yes, mate, Shikamaru," Neji reacted, "A noun and verb, one syllable, the noun definition is 'someone to breed and reproduce with-'"

"Yes, I know what it means Neji!" Shikamaru retorted, obviously flustered by the one word, his cheeks brimming a furious red.

Neji smiled a bit at the Fox and then asked again, "Will you be my mate, Shikamaru?"

"Errm… uhmm…" Shikamaru stuttered with his words; drat, he was acting like a girl!!

Neji, having expected a reply somewhat similar to this, informed the normally lax brunet, "Shikamaru, you won't have to answer now… I'll wait…

"Thank you for your chocolate, Shikamaru…"

Shikamaru heard Neji's retreating footsteps but didn't register that he was leaving.

'_M-mate?! With Neji?! B-b-b-but-'_

**- We have skipped a timeline of many hours until sundown because poor Shikamaru would not back down until someone finally stated that he loved Neji. (Unfortunately, **_**he**_** was the only one who knew that so it took a while.) –**

The now extremely tired brunet sprawled down onto his bed.

'_First thing tomorrow morning… have Tsunade-sama examine my head…'_

And so it was declared a fact: Nara Shikamaru was in love with Hyuuga Neji… and was pretty happy about it.

Then, he realized that he was back at where he started again.

"DARN IT!"

He had never felt so stupid, yet happy, in his life.

--

"You know…

"… You didn't have to drag me all the way to my house," Kakashi notified the Dena.

Iruka blushed in embarrassment before mumbling, "That was the first place that came into my mind…"

Kakashi smiled before querying, "Is that a suggestion for something more?"

"No!" Kakashi chuckled; seriously, Iruka was just too fun to tease!

Whilst Iruka was busy huffing, Kakashi resumed his earlier stance, holding the box as if it were a wedding ring; "For you, my love."

He saw the tint of pink in the Fox's cheeks and he heard him murmur, "Why do you always over-exaggerate these kinds of things?"

"Because, you deserve only the best, my lovely Iruka," Kakashi replied; he stood up, startling the already enough flustered Dena and hugged him once again.

The mood was peaceful and serene, one that the two didn't have often, and they relished this kind of silence.

"KAKASHI!"

… Until half of the relationship decided to ruin it.

--

Sasuke didn't realize that it was night by the time his fangirls had given up; few were pretty persistent but as long as Sasuke stood his ground (and escaped fairly quickly), he would be able to survive them.

He had thought that he heard something (perhaps related to "artist" or something) but brushed it aside and noticed that he had spent the _entire_ day running away from she-Wolves! There wasn't much time left and Naruto forbade visits and walks after moonrise!

After running around the whole village a gazillion times, Sasuke decided to search inside Naruto's house.

"Naruto…?" he whispered out, looking around for the blond Alpha. Where was he?

An open hole in the floor of Naruto's kitchen caught his attention; "… A hole?" Sasuke thought out loud as he walked up to it. It was rather large… big enough for a Wolf or Fox either would have fit.

Being curious, Sasuke slid into the open gap and saw… a pot with a spoon jutting out of it, a snoozing blond, a few cupboards… oh, so _there_ was his blond!

Sasuke walked up to Naruto, surprised to find him asleep; he was about to wake him up when he saw something in Naruto's hand… a miniature pentagon box to be exact. He wondered what was inside it…

"Hmm…?" A drowsy voice groggily yawned, Sasuke noting that it was Naruto.

"Naruto…?" Sasuke called out, not really expecting what a sleep-drunken Naruto would do.

It took a few seconds before Naruto did something else besides blankly stare at Sasuke; in fact, he smiled at him.

Sasuke, now taking in the entire area, noticed the table, the cupboards, the air hole, the fire, the list…

"Did you spend the entire day making… chocolates?" Sasuke questioned the Alpha.

Naruto nodded and yawned; "I had to skip yesterday because I was… sick…" His words were drowsy and Sasuke could tell Naruto was still tired.

"That one's for you," Naruto told the Wolf, pointing at the small pentagon; "I (yawn) spent all day making it…"

Sasuke blinked, surprised; Naruto had focused mainly on _his_ chocolate?

After Sasuke had picked up the valentine, Naruto could no longer hold onto consciousness. His head feel against Sasuke's shoulder and he fell asleep, snoring slightly.

Sasuke smiled before opening the box and taking a bite out of the brown sweet… it… wasn't that bad…

"Do you like the chocolate…?" He nearly freaked out when Naruto asked that out loud; it sounded… sleepy and the idiot-look alike was still asleep.

'_Did… he just sleep talk?'_ Sasuke asked himself; he had heard of it before but had never thought that it was _real_.

"Yeah… it tastes good…" Sasuke had no idea why he was answering the unconscious Fox but he couldn't deny the truth; his blond had pretty talented skills!

Wait… _his_ blond?! Drat, how many times had he said that?! If he had kept on saying _his_ blond, did that mean… did that mean… he was in _love_ with Naruto?! Him, Uchiha Sasuke in love with the (supposedly) mean Uzumaki Naruto?! That was… that was…

That was just… preposterous!

He was not about to fall in love with some… some… some dobe!

He was going to prove that he was _not_ in love!

Uchiha Sasuke was going to prove he was _NOT_ in love with Uzumaki Naruto!

… Right after he finished these chocolates.

--

**Okay, this chapter was pretty bad, wasn't it? - - I took forever and a month to update this and I gave you another bad chapter.**

**Well, enough of the sulking, I have a request for all of you! I want you all to vote in my poll in my profile please!! … Please?**

… **Pretty please??**

**TT I want to know which story everyone would like to have published first but it doesn't seem like anyone cares…**

**Okay, onto the preview!! :D – Ignores sudden change in mood –**

--

"I know we were here to discuss _my_ problems but…" Shikamaru paused for a moment, as if confirming something, "… isn't that _Sasuke_ dating a _girl_…?" He had to hide back the upset and anger in his voice with all his might.

"Sasuke? Dating a girl? You can't be serious, right?" Naruto joked, obviously not believing the idea.

Shikamaru only pointed in front of him.

Naruto's eyes widened but then hardened at the sight; right there, Sasuke was with another girl, arm around her waist, her head on his shoulder, them so _close_ together… and Naruto didn't like it.

"What are you going to do?" Shikamaru asked, worried for his friend.

Naruto avoided eye contact; "Nothing; he has his own will after all." He turned away from the scene; "Let's go somewhere where we can discuss your problems, Shikamaru."

_I don't want to stay here anymore._

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered but complied, nonetheless.

_Okay._

As the two Konoha Pack members walked away from the scene, Shikamaru looked over his shoulder and fiercely glared at a certain Uchiha's back; _'What the heck are you doing, Uchiha?!'_

--

**Ooh, it looks like there's going to be some trouble…**

**The girl's not Sakura – she's over her "Sasuke fangirl" mode now.**

… **Great, now I have to have an OC!! GRR!!**

**- - Okay, you readers can help me with my next chapter! What should the OC look like and what'll her name be? Don't worry; I'll destroy her into little bits eventually. (Muahahaha!! :D)**

**Ahem, so please review, vote and add in your OC! The OC doesn't have to be **_**that**_** described – you can just say "Jira has green hair, green eyes, short and is very easy to kill". XP Hmm… maybe I'll use that one. If you have one that you want to give me, I'll gladly accept it! :D**

**Please review and vote!**

**Bye now! **

**X**

**Okay, I have a large amount of time now because my internet isn't working and I don't feel like working on any new stories right now. - - **_**So**_**, I'm going to give you an extra!! :D Here you go!**

--

**Reader** (taps clipboard): So… Naruto…

**Naruto** (fidgeting from anxiety): Yes…?

**Reader** (stares intensely at the blond): How… exactly did you build that underground cooking room beneath your house…?

**Naruto** (hand behind head): Eh… well, I was… a bit scared of fangirls running into my house and start confessing so I built it…

**Reader** (contemplating thought): Hmm… I see…

**Reader**: So… I see you're uncomfortable with this so I have just _one_ more question…

**Naruto** (relieved): Okay, so what's the question?

**Reader** (into fangirl/ fanboy mode): **WHEN THE HECK ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE OUT WITH SASUKE?!**

**Naruto** (freaked out and fighting back): **HOW THE HECK AM **_**I**_** SUPPOSED TO KNOW?! I'M NOT THE AUTHOR!!**

**Reader** (blinking): … You're right!

(**Reader** drags in **Choices of Life**)

**Reader** (back into fangirl/ fanboy mode): **SO, WHEN THE HECK ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE NARUTO AND SASUKE MAKE OUT?!**

**Choices of Life** (sweat dropping): I understand that you've been waiting a _really_ long while…

(**Reader** nods vigorously)

**Choices of Life** (still sweat dropping): And I know you're _still_ waiting for it…

(**Reader** nods vigorously again)

**Choices of Life** (still sweat dropping): And I know that you're _still_ expecting it…

**Reader **(impatient): **GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!!**

**Choices of Life** (huge sweat drop): It's coming in the chapter after the next!! Expect it at least by then!!

**Reader** (satisfied): Okay, you better not take long to update again.

**Choices of Life** (relieved): Hopefully.

(**Reader** walks out of room)

**Choices of Life**: Hey, where'd Naruto go?

**Reader**: **CHOICES, SOMEONE IS MESSING WITH THE STORY!! NARUTO'S GETTING INTO SASUKE'S PANTS RIGHT NOW!!  
**

**Choices of Life**: OO

(**Choices of Life** runs out of the doorway)

--

**XD**

**Bye now!**

**(PS – My internet isn't working well right now so updates may be postponed, as this one was.)**


	12. Mating Season II: Benefits

**DISCLAIMER****: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

**Summary****: Uchiha Sasuke is a Wolf, banished from his Pack because of his brother. As he strolls along the forest, he bumps into a Fox named Uzumaki Naruto. Only, he isn't your ordinary Fox – he's a hybrid. What happens when Sasuke is mixed up into Naruto's Pack?**

**Warnings****: (Supposedly) aloof Naruto, short chapters, possibly slow updates, possible OOCness, rating may go up, YAOI, SHONENAI, BOYxBOY, dry humor, more warnings adding onto later**

**Pairings****: NaruSasu, implied KakaIru, ShikaTema past later, GaaNaru NaruGaa past later, implied ChoujiShika friendship, ShikaNaru NaruShika ****friendship, NejiHina HinaNeji sibling bond, GaiLee student-teacher bond, KibaHina, LeeSaku, NejiShika, implied ShinoKiba friendship, implied ShikaIno friendship, implied NejiLee friendship, implied AsumaKurenai, adding on more each chapter or so**

_**IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE STORY, DO NOT READ IT! CRITICISM IS NOT APPRECIATED!**_

**Review Replies:**

_**Zarokin: Thank you for the OC and review! – Hands you four cookies –**_

_**DarkRavie: Thanks for your review!! - Hands you four cookies –**_

_**shirilyle: Thanks! :D I'm not much of a romantic person so the candy giving parts were pretty difficult for me. - - - Hands you five cookies plus one bonus cake –**_

_**SumikaAmayaOblivion: Yeah, I'll try my best for their make-out session. XP – Hands you five cookies and a bonus cake –**_

_**namineheart12: Thanks for your review!! - Hands you four cookies –**_

_**BlueEyedWulf: OO Homework on the **_**second**_** day of school?! Are you kidding me?! I don't have homework until the week after we start! Thank you for your kind review! :D – Hands you six cookies and two bonus cakes –**_

_**Yosamu: Thank you for the OC and review!! Yeah, sorry, I'm just a beginner at writing so… I'll have to keep improving. Btw, your picture link was cut off at the beginning so I couldn't see it. - Hands you five cookies plus one bonus cake –**_

_**Mizuki hikari: I would but I skipped all the parts with her in it. XP I **_**really really really**_** hate Karin – she's just so annoying!! But… you do have a point… But, people already gave me a few OC's so I want to choose from one of those. Thanks for the review! – Hands you five cookies plus one bonus cake –**_

_**Kisa167: Thanks for the review! – Hands you four cookies –**_

_**Mizu Mei-sama: Thank you for the review!! - Hands you four cookies –**_

_**Disgruntled Minion: Ehehe… thanks! And… sorry? ; Well, let's see if everything's going to be okay now!! - Hands you five cookies plus one bonus cake –**_

_**Kiru-ne: Thank you for the review!! - Hands you four cookies –**_

**Thanks everybody for the reviews!! They make me **_**so**_** happy!! **

**Now, may I introduce my newest story: "Harder Than You Think"!! 8D It features Demon!Naruto and Demon!Gaara and they're going on a mission!! XD Well, that's half-true anyways. If you'd like, go take a look at it and comment!! **

**Now, the pre-chapter before Naruto and Sasuke's make-out session! XP **

**(For the OC, she will have Zarokin's name and Yosamu's features.)**

--

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"_Speaking in animal Form"_

_Friendship/ Close Relationship Messages_

"**Screaming at the top of their lungs"**

--

**The Wolf, the Packs, and the Hybrid – Chapter Twelve: Mating Season II: Benefits**

Naruto tried to focus his bleary gaze on whatever was in front of him. Oh, dirt. He yawned and stretched, trying to rid of the kinks in his limbs.

He realized that he had on his orange t-shirt again. _'Wait a minute… I gave this to Sasuke last morning… That means Sasuke was here!! And he didn't tell me?!' _he screamed in his mind.

'_That means he saw me sleeping!! Drat, I always say stupid things when I'm asleep!!'_ Naruto, having various ideas of what he might have said, blushed with embarrassment before running up into his kitchen and slamming the wooden door shut.

He caught his breath, not realizing he was using a lot of it, and looked out the window; the sun was high up, meaning it was about noon; well, at least he caught up with his sleep.

Quickly finishing his morning routine ("Brush, dress, all done!"), he hopped out of his kitchen window and onto a random Pack member's roof.

A quick glance to his left and he leapt off the house, walking up to the lone Fox. "Hi, Shikamaru!" he greeted, his head upside down on his vision.

The lazy Fox barely opened his eyes before tiredly mumbling back, "Hi…"

Naruto, being the kind concerned friend he was, queried, "Is something wrong, Shikamaru? You usually open your eyes before greeting me back."

Shikamaru slightly lifted his eyelids before asking, "'That better?"

Naruto pouted before his face became stern; "I'm serious here, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru sighed and sat up as Naruto took a seat next to him.

"Naruto, you're still gay, right?" Straight to the point; just like Shikamaru.

"Yep! Proud of it and surely knowing it was a good idea!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

"So…" Shikamaru drawled out, "… What did you do when you figured that out?"

Naruto blinked before replying, "I denied it and avoided Gaara for a couple of days. Why? Did Neji finally confess to you?"

Shikamaru blushed at his friend's guess and bowed his head in embarrassment. Naruto blinked in surprise and shouted, "**NO WAY!! HE **_**ACTUALLY**_** HAD THE GUTS TO DO THAT?!**"

Birds flew out of trees while Foxes and Wolves protected their ears as a certain Wolf sneezed.

Shikamaru settled his hands back on the ground as he sighed and nodded; "**THAT'S AWESOME!! I THOUGHT **_**I**_** WAS GOING TO HAVE TO SPIT IT OUT TO YOU!!**"

The brunet of the two grimaced a bit at the reason why he thought the confession was "awesome".

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Naruto waved his hands in front of his face to prevent the glare from meeting him; "So, you're having problems or something?"

Shikamaru nodded and rested his chin on his folded knees. "I have no idea what to say or do to him now…" he mumbled, soft but not too quiet for Naruto to miss.

"Aw, shucks, Shikamaru – don't worry! You have someone with experience right next to you!" Naruto informed the brunet Fox before continuing, "If you're going to say something to him, say 'yes'! You haven't been in a relationship in _years_, Shikamaru!! And, he's been trying to hit on you ever since he came!! … Unconsciously!!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at his Alpha friend before reminding him, "You aren't one to talk – you haven't been in a relationship any longer than I have."

"Well, that's me and this is you!! Come on – you're _Shikamaru_. Bored, lazy, always mumbling 'troublesome' Shikamaru!! Neji must have done something _amazing_ to make you this way!!" Naruto nearly screeched out.

The normally lazy brunet blushed once again, recalling the first time something _amazing_ happened with them.

"See?! You're blushing! Come on, let's go to Ichiraku or something… all this talk is making me hungry." Before Shikamaru knew it, Naruto was dragging him all the way to his infamously favorite food shop, Ichiraku.

Naruto immediately began talking, "So, ramble on about how you feel…" He lied his head down on his folded arms, next to his empty ramen bowl that he had finished after he had said, "Itadakimasu!"

'_He's treating me somewhat like a girl…'_ Shikamaru realized before replying, "I lost sleep for a while because of him and-"

"**HE WAS THE REASON YOU ALMOST DIED FROM LACK OF SLEEP?!**" Naruto screamed out, slamming the counter with his abrupt stand. "**THAT'S IT – I'M GOING TO-**"

"Naruto! Relax!!" Shikamaru urgently tried to calm his friend down. The last time Naruto went on a rampage like this, he nearly killed himself and someone else. "And I didn't almost die!!" After Naruto had completely evened out his breathing and mind, he sat back down and apologized, "Sorry… I overreacted…"

Shikamaru glanced at the two store owners, though they seemed to be ignoring their conversation; others, however, were starting to listen in. He suggested, "Maybe somewhere more… _private_ is necessary."

Naruto looked around before nodding.

As they both exited the small shop, Shikamaru's eyed widened.

"I know we were here to discuss _my_ problems but…" Shikamaru paused for a moment, as if confirming something, "… isn't that _Sasuke_ dating a _girl_…?" He had to hide back the upset and anger in his voice with all his might.

"Sasuke? Dating a girl? You can't be serious, right?" Naruto joked, obviously not believing the idea.

Shikamaru only pointed in front of him.

Naruto's eyes widened but then hardened at the sight; right there, Sasuke was with another girl, arm around her waist, her head on his shoulder, them so _close_ together… and Naruto didn't like it.

"What are you going to do?" Shikamaru asked, worried for his friend.

Naruto avoided eye contact; "Nothing; he has his own will after all." He turned away from the scene; "Let's go somewhere where we can discuss your problems, Shikamaru."

_I don't want to stay here anymore._

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered but complied, nonetheless.

_Okay._

As the two Konoha Pack members walked away from the scene, Shikamaru looked over his shoulder and fiercely glared at a certain Uchiha's back; _'What the heck are you doing, Uchiha?!'_

--

The next morning after Sasuke gave Naruto his shirt back, he immediately went to find some way to prove he wasn't in love with the blond dobe.

'_If I'm in love with someone else, then that means I _can't_ be in love with Naruto,'_ he reasoned with himself.

It didn't take long for girls to come and demand his attention; however, he was a bit annoyed by the fact they were ignoring his personal space. A certain… _persistent_ girl forced herself through the crowd, probably one of the strongest ones in the group.

Through all the screams, he was surprised to be able to hear her soft voice. "Excuse me… Sasuke-sama…? Could I – I mean, would you…?" She was extremely shy (the fact that she was looking at her feet which were shuffling kind of led to that conclusion…) but she didn't give up the spot she had to others.

The girl had short purple-blue hair, about shoulder length; her eyes were a bright orange (from Sasuke's angle) and she was wearing a ruffled sapphire blue summer dress with shoes that matched. Her Wolf ears and tail matched her hair, as well.

To the ordinary eye, she looked beautiful – who _wouldn't_ want to go out with her? But, for some reason, Sasuke could only stare at her sapphire dress, the color reminding him of someone else's prettier eyes…

"Wouldyouliketogooutwithme?!" she screamed out, all of the fangirls hearing her instantly.

Before any of them could react, Sasuke agreed, "I accept your offer."

"**EHH?!**" they all bawled out.

Sasuke grabbed the girl's arm, hauling them both out of the large fangroup, and into somewhere else into the village.

Once he had rid of the pests, he found themselves at a small bistro, finding it quite odd how Naruto funded these things.

'_Why am I _still_ thinking about Naruto?? Just relax, Uchiha, relax…'_ He gave himself a deep breath before relaxing a bit and then asking, "Would you like to… sit here?" It was quite hesitant but the girl didn't seem to notice.

She blushed furiously before nodding and then sitting down on a chair, parallel of Sasuke.

"So, what's your name?" Sasuke inquired, placing his chin on his folded hands.

The she-Wolf blushed before stammering, "My name is… Hctib…" (Pronounce it any way you want to, readers.)

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the strange name; _'Probably a foreign girl or something…'_

"I see," Sasuke responded.

A she-Fox stopped at their table with a pencil and notepad and greeted, "Hello! Would you like to order now? Today's special is the milk coffee with an orange garnish." Her tone was perky but that was all Sasuke noted about her.

Hctib replied, "I'll have whatever Sasuke-sama has."

The she-Fox nodded and then turned her head towards said brunet.

"I'll have the special," Sasuke answered and the she-Fox nodded once more before leaving them. Sasuke thought he heard her mumble annoyingly, "Frustrating fangirls…" but shrugged it off.

"Umm… Sasuke-sama," Hctib called out, "Umm… could I… rest my head on your shoulder?"

The duck-butted hair brunet blinked before agreeing, "Of course."

Hctib smiled happily before scooting her chair over and then positioning her head right on top of his shoulder. Sasuke ignored the urge to demand, "Get off of me!" and instead wrapped an arm around her waist.

His eyebrows scrunched together when he found himself _disliking_ the contact quite _a lot_. To top it all off, he felt livid stares on his back. He turned around to see what he was being paranoid about but only found Ichiraku.

Sasuke shrugged and he realized that Hctib's head had traveled down onto his neck.

He was _really_ loathing the contact now…

"Your drinks are here!" the she-Fox from before exclaimed, holding a tray.

The sudden exclamation scared the female brunet of the two, causing her to lift her head up from "Sasuke-sama" and blushed profusely.

Sasuke scooted his chair away a bit as the waitress placed their cups on the small table. He glanced at the departing waitress, noticing the large frown she wore.

What was going on with their server?

--

"So," Naruto said as he sat cross-legged next to Shikamaru, "continue."

Shikamaru sighed before responding, "Well, as I said before, I lost some sleep because of the situation when it started… and then Neji confessed and all, causing me to lose _more_ sleep – don't interrupt me yet, Naruto – then, he suggested I be his _mate_ and I had a _tad bit_ more sleep… now here I am, in a crisis."

Naruto nodded his head in contemplation and then thought about it. After a while, he scooted in front of Shikamaru, cross-legged and all, and stated, "You're in love with him."

Shikamaru choked on his saliva at how nonchalantly Naruto said that.

As Naruto patted Shikamaru's back, Shikamaru managed out, "How can – cough – you say that – cough – so casually?!"

"Because it's obvious," Naruto answered, "When you have experience, it's kind of fun to see what a rookie's reaction would be. Believe me, when Kakashi-sensei first did that to me, I choked too."

Once the brunet of the two had caught his breath, he asked, "So, now that you have so keenly told me that I love him, what do I do?"

"Well, you were always good at math so figure out this problem: if one guy likes another guy and the other guy likes the one guy back… what does that equal?"

Shikamaru blinked, bored a bit with the simple question, and replied, "Two guys liking each other?"

"– Twitch – Yes, and when two guys like each other, what do they do…?"

"Be a couple?"

"- Twitch – And when they're a couple, what do they do to make it official…?"

"They… date?"

"They claim each other!" Naruto all but screeched out, obviously annoyed by the fact that his friend wasn't understanding the point.

Shikamaru sighed before reminding the Alpha blond, "I don't know anything about homosexual relationships, Naruto."

Naruto blinked before realizing the problem; "Oh… Well, it's mating season now, considering yesterday was Valentine's Day so there's going to be a lot of smells tonight or so…"

"Naruto, you're trailing off the subject," Shikamaru notified his "informed" friend.

"Huh? Oh, right! Well… umm… someone's on top and… someone's on bottom."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the statement and spoke, "I have absolutely _no_ idea what you just said."

"Eh… well, remember when Iruka-sensei taught us about the story of life?"

"How could I not?" Though it was well hidden, Naruto could hear the slight disturbance in his voice.

"Well, when the relationship starts becoming… intimidate… well, then… you… you… you know…!!" Naruto was finding it _very_ frustrating that he just _could not find the correct words!!_

"So…" Shikamaru decided to spare his friend the brain malfunction; "You're saying that we… mate… and exchange bodily fluids…?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically as Shikamaru found it out himself.

"How in the world am I supposed to do that??" Shikamaru asked aloud, his face a very bright red.

Naruto blinked before answering, "You could let Neji do all the work – that's what I did with Gaara." He smiled proudly as he thumped his hand against his chest but then added, "I was on top sometimes too though and it seemed a lot better to be Seme and all but-"

"Naruto, you do realize that I'm not going _anywhere at all_ in this conversation, right?" Shikamaru asked his friend, resting his cheek against his hand.

The blond Fox blinked before sulking and nodding his head; "You could ask Kakashi-sensei about it – he's probably a better consoler than I am."

Shikamaru nodded before standing up; he reassured the ramen-lover, "You helped a bit too, you know – now I know I love Neji."

Naruto cheered up as Shikamaru comforted him. "Aww, geez, Shikamaru – you're a _way_ better consoler than I am!"

"By the way - Naruto."

"Hmm?"

"What are you going to do about Sasuke?"

Naruto blinked before looking down dejectedly. "I don't know…" he mumbled then looked out towards the lake, staring at the mountains; "I thought he at least liked me a little bit but I can't win against a girl…

"It looks like I'm going to have to skip again this year."

_I was actually looking forward to it this year…_

Shikamaru's eyed widened; Naruto had never _ever_ looked forward to any year after Gaara's death!

"Naruto, don't worry – I'll make sure Sasuke and that girl aren't together, okay? 'That way you don't have to skip this year!" Shikamaru didn't bother to use a hidden message beneath it. He cared too much to do that.

"Wait, Shikamaru – you don't have to-" Naruto was about to protest but the rarely determined Fox was already on his way.

Naruto sighed before returning his gaze to the mountains.

'_Was it really all right to fall in love again, Gaara?'_

--

Shikamaru rushed pass Pack members, most befuddled as to why Shikamaru was running throughout Konoha.

'_Drat, where'd that Cora run off to?'_ Shikamaru asked himself, not finding Sasuke in the shop from before. He sprinted through streets, through houses, through _everywhere_ but he just couldn't find him!

He growled in frustration as he finally gave himself a small break; he saw his shadow had lengthened, meaning sunset was arising.

"Damn it all!" he growled out. He didn't understand what was going on through that Wolf's mind – couldn't he tell that Naruto liked – no, _loved_ him?!

"Shikamaru!" a less than expected voice called out, seemingly exhausted.

"N-Neji!!" Shikamaru reacted, a slight pink color on his cheeks.

Neji clarified, "I s-saw – wheeze – you running… around everywhere… and followed you…" As Neji caught his breath, he notified Shikamaru, "Do you _know_ how fast you are??"

Shikamaru turned his head away a bit and then muttered, "Why were you following me, anyways?"

The pupil-less brunet answered, "I was wondering what you're answer was."

The pineapple headed Fox felt his blush increase as he remembered Naruto's words. '_If you're going to say something to him, say 'yes'! You haven't been in a relationship in years, Shikamaru!! And, he's been trying to hit on you ever since he came!! … Unconsciously!!'_

"Umm…" Shikamaru drawled out. "Yeah…"

Neji raised an eyebrow at that and queried, "Is that a 'yeah, I accept' or a 'yeah, I remember'?"

Shikamaru slowly turned back towards Neji and made eye contact and replied, "The former."

He saw how Neji's eyes brightened and he felt strangely glad that it was because of _him_ that he was like that.

"Really, Shikamaru?!" Neji responded. When Shikamaru nodded, he immediately reacted, "Thank you!" and went for a hug and kiss.

When Shikamaru felt lip contact, he froze a bit. It wasn't that he never kissed before – it was just… he wasn't used to kissing _again_. Once he had become a bit accustomed to the kissing, he began responding, wrapping his arms around Neji's neck.

Neji smiled as he felt Shikamaru respond, and then wrapped his own arms around Shikamaru's waist. Deciding to be a little courageous, he slipped his tongue out and gently licked Shikamaru's lips, asking for entrance.

Shikamaru shivered as he felt Neji's tongue against his mouth and slowly opened his mouth, gasping in surprise when Neji's tongue dove right in.

The Wolf of the two eagerly plunged into the wet cavern, licking and tasting Shikamaru's mouth. He tasted of a tangy orange and slight mint on the side... he wondered what he ate to obtain the unique taste.

Shikamaru shivered as Neji's tongue invaded his mouth and quietly moaned into the kiss as their tongues brushed against each other.

However, he had to break the kiss in order to gasp for air. Neji chuckled as he saw the pretty blush on Shikamaru's face.

"You taste nice," Neji commented and he brushed their cheeks together.

The Fox of the couple felt his face burn even more but then questioned, "So… what now?"

Neji thought about it a bit and then answered, "Let's claim each other."

And before Shikamaru could ask how, he was dragged off by the zealous Wolf.

Somewhere nearby, a blond smiled at Shikamaru's new relationship.

--

Naruto had been following Shikamaru once he had become bored of sitting down and numbing his butt.

He knew he shouldn't have pried into their alone time but he couldn't help but watch! It was the first time he had seen Shikamaru so… delighted.

He strolled through Konoha, not really paying attention to the love the fangirls were giving him and continued on walking to nowhere… alone.

He smelled someone familiar nearby and immediately twisted his head towards the scent. He wished he hadn't.

Naruto watched as Sasuke kissed the girl he was dating, both of their eyes closed and in a position almost the same as earlier.

Naruto didn't know why but he felt his eyes stinging… and his heart breaking…

The Alpha couldn't stand to watch it. He dashed away from the scene, towards his house. When he reached his bed, he crashed straight on to it and cried into his pillow.

He had never felt so heartbroken like this since Gaara died…

--

The day wasn't exactly enjoyable as Sasuke hoped it would be. Sure, a pretty girl was dating him, but… that was it. She was _just_ a pretty girl. He couldn't find anything that special about her at all.

They had talked about their likes and dislikes (well, Sasuke just "Hn"-ed every time) and took strolls around the village. It wasn't a very complex date and Sasuke couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't enjoying this. And every time she said something, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder why he always thought of Naruto.

"Sasuke-sama?" he heard Hctib call out, "I-I have a… question for you…"

"Hn?" he reacted.

"May I kiss you?" There was no hesitance in her voice and she seemed determined to be able to receive a "yes" in return.

Sasuke stood still for a moment before nodding in return; he could tell Hctib was about to squeal in happiness.

'_If I like this, that means I don't like Naruto,'_ he reminded himself as he wrapped his arms around her waist. _'I want to wrap my arms around Naruto's neck'_ was the first thing that came into his head. He shook it off and then looked into her vivid orange eyes. _'I want those eyes to be blue…'_ was the next thing that came.

As their lips met, Sasuke couldn't help but feel… disgusted that he was kissing her. Hctib, on the other hand, couldn't be happier.

It seemed as if his mind left him to finish his problem, seeing as it didn't react instantaneously to the kiss.

The male Wolf didn't know why but he felt his stomach churn and he wanted to throw up. When it seemed as if the kiss would never stop, his mind finally registered what was going on. _'I want to kiss Naruto.'_

He immediately broke the kiss and pushed the girl away, resulting in her yelping in surprise and hit the ground.

"S-Sasuke-sama?" she reacted, confused.

Sasuke looked at her eyes. _'They should be sapphire…'_

Sasuke looked at her clothes. _'They should be vibrant orange…'_

Sasuke looked at her hair. _'They should be spiky blond…'_

He looked over her again; _'I want to be with Naruto.'_

Immediately, he ran away from Hctib, leaving her on the ground and confused.

'_I need to find Naruto!!'_ How long had he been kissing her? A few seconds? A few years? A few centuries? No! The only one he would kiss would be Naruto!!

'_I love Naruto!'_ he finally declared, rushing around to find said Fox.

It seemed like Konoha was bigger than it seemed. Sasuke, apparently, had walked towards the outskirts of the town, and now night was dawning upon them, a new moon tonight. However, even though his eyes weren't much of use, his ears still were.

Sniffling. He heard sniffling. Someone was crying! Was it Naruto?! He raced through the maze of a village and stopped at a house – Naruto's house.

He walked inside, the sniffling becoming louder and louder. It was clear to whom it was now.

Sasuke walked up to the bedridden blond, a bit wary. There were many sides to Naruto he never saw before so he wanted to make sure not to trigger an angry Fox.

"Naru… to?" he hesitantly called out, noticing the Alpha's Fox ears perk up immediately. Naruto turned his body over, very surprised to see Sasuke.

From his angle, Sasuke could see the redness in Naruto's eyes. He had been crying for a while and there was no hiding it.

The brunet slowly bent forward until his weight shifted the bed. He neared the dobe-ish blond and lifted a finger to wipe some of the cascading tears away.

Naruto, seeing the situation, explained, "Err, well, I-I wasn't crying about anything… well, I was – b-but!! It was because – well, because, because-" He seemed a bit too desperate to cover up his earlier scene.

Sasuke slowly pushed Naruto down, and gradually began to lick the small streams away. Naruto just stayed still, not really contemplating if he should stop the Wolf with his ministrations.

Once Sasuke had finished his licking, he asked, "Were you crying because of me, Naruto?"

"Errm…" Naruto hesitated with his answer. "Not… in a bad way… I think…"

Sasuke looked down, a bit dejectedly, and mumbled, "'m sory…"

However, Naruto couldn't catch that; "What?"

Sasuke semi-glared at him before repeating, "'m sory."

"What? I couldn't hear you."

"I'm sorry, okay?!"

Naruto blinked, _very_ aware of the pretty blush that decorated the Uchiha's face as he tried to hide it. Taking advantage of the situation, he carefully flipped them over so that he would be over the blushing Sasuke.

"Hey, Sasuke." Their lips were only centimeters apart.

"Yeah?"

"Mate with me."

Their lips met.

--

**Aww, I just love the ending to this. The licking scene was inspired by Chapter Eight of BlueEyedWulf's fanfic "Bittersweet". I wasn't originally going to add this in but with the current situation I'm in… I'd better leave behind something good.**

**Oh? I should have mentioned my cruise trip from the twenty-second to the twenty-fourth earlier. – Readers suddenly glare and have torches and pitchforks – HEY, HEY, HEY!! Before you kill anyone, me specifically, it was my dad's idea – no, you cannot kill him either because it would make no difference! NO DIFFERENCE, I SAY!! I don't even want to go; I get seasick. - -**

Oh, and what happened to Hctib? Well, considering she's just an OC, let's all forget about her!! :D  
**  
This is one of the best cliffhangers I have **_**ever**_** written! What do you readers think? – Readers are very mad because I gave them a cliffhanger before the make-out session – - -; I'm not going to push that subject on further.**

**No preview this time. – Boo! – Well, what do you expect? The next chapter is when they have monkey sex! – Readers have wild look in their eyes –**

**OO – Runs all the way to boat with family and several large luggage bags – Until I return, all!**

**Bye!**


	13. Important Notice

**A notice to all WPH readers:**

**I have reread this story several times and am extremely disappointed in its quality. I plan to rewrite everything, even changing bits in the plot I made. The story absolutely made me want to change and rearrange everything completely so after long thoughts, I have decided to rewrite it all as a new fanfic. It's titled "The Enemy of Your Enemy is Your Friend" and I even put up the first chapter. (You won't believe how many hours I spent on it…)**

**So, this will not be continued but made into a new fanfic. I hope you all understand. D':**


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